Operation: Survival
by WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper
Summary: Like all the others, she came up in the box. Like all the others, she had no memory of herself. Like all the others, she was a subject. But unlike all the others, she had a special power. Unlike all the others, she had completely lost her mind. And unlike all the others, WICKED had a special plan for her; one that included sending another subject to try and kill her...
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey again y'all! Here I am with my second maze runner fanfiction. I recently read an amazing fanfic called "Everybody wants to rule the world" by Calla Mae, so a HUGE shout-out to her. Y'all should check out her story as well, it's incredible. And that has inspired me to write this. If anyone reading this has read my other story, you'll know that I like writing stories about OCs. Also, if you ARE reading this now, I want to thank you for it. I stink at summaries, and if you deemed my story worthy of reading, even after the ridiculous summary I wrote, I sincerely thank you.**

 **Right then… ON WITH THE STORY!**

 **Dis.: All characters except my OCs belong to the one and only James Dashner.**

~.~.~.~.

 **Prologue:**

"Extraordinary, isn't she?" Ava Paige said, as she leaned over the girl. Clad in white sheets of the hospital beds, the girl seemed to be sleeping. It looked so peaceful; one could never guess what was about to happen to her.

"A _freak_ , that's what she is. She's just lucky that we need her responses. Otherwise she'd be lying dead in a gutter somewhere." Jansen shot back. Paige fixed him with a cold look. She turned away and peered at the girl again.

"Her and the other boy… they're like nothing I've ever seen before." She said. She reached out and stroked the girl's forehead. "What happened to her was truly sad. No one deserved it…"

Jansen sneered. "It serves her right. I don't even know why we're sending her. She won't last more than five minutes in the maze. If I didn't know better, I'd say the boys themselves will throw her out, once they realize what she can do."

Paige shook her head. "We sent the other boy as well. They didn't harm him. They shouldn't harm her either. Besides, she's such a sweet child; I don't think they'll have the heart to kill her."

"It doesn't matter. She's crazy, and it'll take them moments to realize that. The other boy may have been a freak too, but he wasn't crazy."

Paige sighed, knowing for a fact that this conversation would lead nowhere. "Is she ready for the swipe?" She asked the head doctor, who gave her a tired look.

"I don't see the need ma'am. With all due respect, she's already so… unhinged." He said after a while, as though he was searching for the right word. "The swipe won't really add anything."

Paige shook her head. "We cannot take any chances. If she is to go into Group A, she will face the swipe, just like the rest." Her tone was one of finality and order. The doctor knew better than to argue, and he hurriedly started making the preparations.

Casting one last look at the sleeping girl, Paige headed out, followed by Jansen.

Now all they needed to do was wait and see…

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: SO? How was it?**

 **Um, okay, I realize y'all can't say much after just the prologue, but due to that reason, I'll put up two chapters today!**

 **Please review! Reviews make me very happy, and they also motivate me to write more! Every kind of review is not only welcome, but also appreciated!**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Here it is! The new chapter! I wanted to say… I stink at fluff. So this story probably won't have any of it. BUT! I'll try adding some of it later on… I'll try.**

 **Right.**

 **Bookworm237: Omg, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I seriously can't tell how happy I was when I saw your review! I am honored... really... :) I hope you enjoy!**

 **Enjoy!**

~.~.~.~.

It was a normal day in the glade. The newest Greenie, a curious boy called Thomas, had arrived just the day before. The pigs were squealing in the bloodhouse; the Track-Hoes were weeding the gardens; the builders were working on the homestead.

Nothing could have prepared them for the shock of what happened next.

Newt was showing the Greenbean around. Thomas' head was bursting with questions, and he was eager to ask them. But one glare from Alby, who walked beside them, and he decided to keep shut. He knew better than to argue with the leader of this place. He took in every detail he could about the glade.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting alarm rang throughout the Glade. Thomas covered the sides of his head with his hands. "What's going on?" He asked, trying to push the ringing out of his ears. Newt and Alby just looked perplexed. "That's the bloody Greenie alarm…" Newt finally managed.

"So what?" Thomas' voice betrayed the annoyance he felt. "So, you numb-headed shank, we only get one greenie a _month_. We've never had two greenies in the same month, let alone in the same week!" Alby curtly replied.

Now having come out of their initial shock, the three ran up to the box. Chuck and a few other Gladers were already there, staring intently at the box. Others ran towards them. Chuck gave Thomas a look of utter confusion.

The alarm finally stopped, and the roof of the box opened, to reveal who was inside. Newt was about to jump in and retrieve the greenie, when they were greeted by the most peculiar sight.

It was a girl.

And that wasn't even the strangest thing. The girl was poking her finger through the holes of the wire mesh, and counting out loud. "Eighty-seven, eighty-eight, eighty-nine…" Her voice trailed off. She looked up at them with big blue eyes. "Hello!" she said, a smile breaking through her features.

The boys, if shocked before, were utterly and completely baffled now. First they got two greenies one after another, then the greenie turned out to be a girl, and finally, as though that wasn't enough, the greenie seemed to be completely crazy. Counting the holes in the wire mesh? They'd never seen anyone do that.

"Hello!" She said again, her smile unwavering. She had shoulder length blond hair, and piercing blue eyes. Her face was childish and innocent. Bangs fell into her eyes. She spoke with a strange accent, not unlike the one Newt had.

"What in the holy…" Newt managed at last. Alby shook off his surprise. They needed to get the greenie out; deranged or not. "Jack, Billy! Get in there and get her out. Be careful and don't break anything."

The two boys Alby had ordered jumped into the box to do what he said. They helped the girl out, and dropped her onto the grass, in front of Alby and Newt. The girl stood up, and brushed off the dirt from her pants. Her smile grew wider.

"Hello!" She said for the third time. She waved at them. Suddenly she spotted something in the air, beside Thomas' head, and there went her attention.

"Oooh, pretty!" She said, jabbing at the wind with her finger. Thomas followed her gaze, but saw nothing. She was poking at thin air. But she smiled crazily and marveled at it. "Fly!" she said happily, flapping her arms, staring at that spot.

Thomas shot Alby a confused look. Alby simple shook his head. He'd never seen a greenie act like this. They were usually frightened out of their wits, crying or screaming. None of them came out of the box and started poking at the wind.

Thomas decided that he'd had enough. He needed to talk to the girl, and he didn't trust Alby to do it very well. He looked at Newt, who was staring at the girl. Come to think of it, they all were.

"What do you see?" Thomas asked softly. The girl turned to face him, and stopped flapping her arms. "Birdie!" She exclaimed, as if that one word held all the joy in the world. "Birdie flying!"

"I don't see the bird." Thomas added. He was the only one talking. Every other Glader was staring blankly at the strange scene unfold in front of them. The girl shook her head. "No no. Birdie!" she said excitedly.

Thomas decided to drop the subject of the invisible bird. "I'm Thomas. Can you tell me your name?" He asked. It took a moment for the girl to tear her attention away from the 'birdie', but she looked at him and grinned again.

"Hello Thomas!" She said. "Astrid!" she put a hand on her chest. "Well Astrid, it's very nice to meet you." Thomas replied.

"All you shanks, get back to work. We'll take care of this greenie, even though she seems completely nutso." Alby barked at everyone else. No one moved, and he yelled at them again. Breaking out of their initial stupor, they ran off. Chuck still stayed put. "Scram." Alby shot at him. Looking a little sad, he left them be, leaving only Newt himself and Thomas with the greenie.

"Greenie. I'm a greenie?" Astrid looked at her arms, and then back at them, confusion bathing her features. "But I'm not green!"

Newt couldn't help but laugh. "A greenie is the new person to come here. For now, that's you. So we call you greenie. It doesn't mean you're green." He told her. Astrid smiled again. "Astrid!" She told Newt. He got the hint. "Newt." He said holding out his hand, for her to shake. She stared at it, confused. She looked at him. "Hand?"

Newt retracted his hand from in front of her. "Never mind, Greenie." he said. Clearly this girl was different. She seemed to be younger than them, about fifteen or so, but she spoke like a two-year-old.

"I'm Alby." Alby stepped up. He didn't bother being soft. 'Soft' was not in his nature. Astrid waved at them again. "Astrid!" she said. "Astrid Astrid Astrid Astrid!" she kept repeating the words over and over again. "We know. We know your name." Thomas cut her off. She beamed at him, finally appeased.

Her expression became confused once again. "Boy." She said, pointing at Thomas. "Boy boy boy boy boy…" she pointed at Alby, Newt, and other Gladers, who were going about their work. Then she stopped and pointed to herself. " No boy." she sounded really confused, as though the prospect of her being a girl was really strange.

"No, klunk-head, you're a girl. The first girl ever." Alby snapped at her. She seemed shocked at this. "No boy?" she repeated, turning her gaze to Newt, who shook his head.

"Girl!" she started jumping up and down, a huge smile on her face.

"We need to take this one to the med-jacks. Have them look her over. She's klunked in the head, mate." Newt said aside to Alby, who was watching the girl with a mixture of awe and shock. "I agree." Thomas piped in, before realizing that his opinion wasn't really needed. He looked towards the ground. Newt put a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, Tommy. We need your opinion too, okay?" Newt said, as if he had read his thoughts.

"Yeah yeah. Let's take her. I can't stand this nonsense anymore." Alby glared at the girl. Thomas stepped up to take her hand, when suddenly her smile melted. Her expression turned into one of horror.

"NO! NO STOP! PLEASE DON'T!" She screamed, backing away. "Hey, we're not going to hurt you…" Newt said in his softest voice. Astrid didn't seem to be afraid of them, though. She seemed to be afraid of something else entirely.

She clutched her head, falling to her knees. "STOP!" she screamed again. Thomas knelt beside her and put an arm on her shoulder. "Can you tell us-"

She cut him off with a blood-curling shriek. "NOOOOOO!" she yelled. "I can hear all of them! The screams! Stop! Killing!" Her words made no sense, but they seemed to absolutely terrify her.

Then, before anyone could react, she started banging her head against the ground, blood spurting out of her mouth.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Em…. Yeah. Sorry about that Cliffhanger. I'll try updating soon! Please review and tell me what you thought of it! I'd love to hear your opinion. Also, if you have any question, or a any suggestion, please tell me those as well, in your review!**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Oh. My. Gods. HOLY MOTHER… A HUNDRED VIEWS ALREADY THANK YOU SO MUCH! Seriously, I can NOT believe my luck! I'm so glad y'all like this story! I'll be updating every two-three days, because of studies and whatnot.**

 **potatopeelies: THANK YOU! :) Really, I'm so glad you liked it!**

 **Embers To Ashes: Hello again! And of course I remember you! Your last review was so nice! It made me feel really good. :") I hope you like this fic as well. And I hope I'm able to make this just as good! About Lee… erm…. Errrrrmmmm…. *melts into shadows***

 **Lifelong potterhead: GODS OF OLYMPUS thank you so much for reviewing my stories! It makes me really happy, seeing all your reviews. As to why she's crazy… well. We'll just have to wait and see eh? ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

~.~.~.~.

"Greenie, stop!" Alby yelled, and Newt and Thomas tried to restrict her. It was in vain. Her garbled screams drowned out any orders he gave her. Thomas and Newt picked her off the ground in order to stop her from bashing her own head in. Blood was flowing from her mouth, down her chin and onto her shirt. Her eyes were blood-shot.

"Come on!" Newt said, as they started dragging her to the infirmary. She thrashed and struggled against them, scratching and clawing. It took effort, but they held on tight. Newt's nails dug into her arm. Thomas was holding her other hand, trying desperately to keep himself out of the way of her flailing hands. Slowly, they managed to reach the infirmary, Alby walking ahead of them.

Astrid had stopped struggling against them, but was still screaming and crying. "Stop them please!" She sobbed. Jeff greeted them, looking a little pale. "Give her here." He ordered. Together, he and Clint led the girl into a room. Newt, Thomas and Alby had no choice but to wait outside.

"The greenie's INSANE!" Alby exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, mate, we kinda noticed." Newt grumbled back. Thomas just sat down on a chair and put his head between his hands. As if this place wasn't bizarre enough already.

It felt like hours, but finally, Jeff stepped out, looking shocked. Thomas sprang to his feet. "How is she now?" he asked. Jeff shook his head, looking tired. "The bleeding's stopped, but I really don't know what's wrong with her. She's jacked up man, she's jacked up."

Alby rolled his eyes. "Do you know what did this to her? The bleeding, I mean. People don't just suddenly start bleeding like that from their mouths." Newt asked, looking concerned. Jeff let out a weak laugh. "Newt, this shank is as far from normal as humanly possible. As to what caused the bleeding…" He faltered. "Look, I know this will sound crazy, but nothing caused it. She's doing this to herself. It's like some sort of self-destruct."

Newt, Thomas and Alby stared at him. He shook his head again. "I know, hard to believe. But there's no injury in her mouth. None at all. Somehow, the blood came from inside her."

"That's just downright creepy." Newt said finally. Alby snorted. "Is she awake?" Thomas asked. Jeff nodded, and opened the door for them. Inside, they found Clint sitting on the edge of the bed. Astrid was on the bed, playing with flowers. She was lining them up, then ruffling the formation, clapping her hands, and doing it again.

Clint got up and gave them a meaningful look before heading out. He must've gotten tired of the girl's craziness. Thomas went up to her and sat down. "Hey Astrid. How're you feeling now?" He asked gently. She looked at him happily and grinned. "Astrid fine! No more screams!"

"Well that's good Greenie 'cause-" Newt started, but faltered under Astrid's reaction.

Her head whipped towards him, and her eyes widened. She pointed at him and screamed "NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" her eyes were filled with terror.

"Get out!" Alby threw open the door and shoved Newt outside. However, if they thought that would have helped, they were dreadfully wrong. Astrid only screamed louder. "NO YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM AWAY!" she started thrashing in her bed. She leapt off and made a jump to the door, but Thomas caught her, trying to make her steady. She threw her arms around, screaming louder by the instant.

Seeing no other option, Alby opened the door once again, to see a very shocked Newt still standing outside. His brown eyes were bulging out. "Get in!" Alby ordered. He grabbed Newt's collar and yanked him inside.

Almost immediately, Astrid stopped screaming. She ran up to Newt, and threw her arms around him, sobbing into his shirt. "Please don't leave." She cried. Newt was still trying to make sense of what had just happened, but he hugged her back just the same. He looked at the others, but they were simply silenced. This girl seemed to get weirder by every passing moment.

Newt stroked her back, trying to get her to calm down. "Hey, it's okay." He said softly. "I'm not going anywhere." He took her face and made her look at him. "Let's sit down, shall we?" he led her to the bed. They sat down, but she didn't let go of him.

"Don't go." She said again. Newt nodded. "I'm right here."

"This. Is. Weird." Jeff concluded. Alby let out a sarcastic laugh. "Ya think, genius?" Jeff shook his head. "No, I mean, she acts as though she knows Newt from before."

"Jeff, the shank is bonkers. She probably sees Newt as another birdie." Alby replied nonchalantly. Jeff nodded, but even Thomas knew that wasn't true. He'd seen recognition in her eyes. And fear. Fear of losing someone you cared about.

In the meantime, Astrid had managed to stop crying. She let go of Newt and smiled widely. "Astrid happy!" she exclaimed. She looked at the boys. "Tommy." She pointed to Thomas. "Jeffy. Alby" She turned back to Newt. "Newtie." She concluded. She clapped her hands together again, laughing. "Astrid remembers names!"

"Yay!" Thomas shook his fists weakly in the air. "Astrid!" she pointed to herself again. She seemed to have forgotten introducing herself to them before. Thomas nodded. "Hello Astrid."

She chuckled again. She reached up and took a lock of Newt's hair, from in front of his face, in her fingers. She took a lock of her own hair, and held it up, comparing the two of them. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she examined them. Then suddenly, a smile broke through her face. "Same!" she declared happily. Newt nodded. "Yes, they are the same color."

Alby smirked. "Blondies." His eyes moved to the girl, and his expression became serious once again. "What should we do with the Greenie?"

"She's clearly unbalanced. I don't think there's anything we _can_ do." Jeff supplied. Alby appreared to be in deep thought. "Maybe we should throw her in the slammer." He suggested. Apparently Astrid didn't like the word 'slammer' for she let out another cry and hugged Newt again. He scowled at Alby.

"Mate, we are not going to throw her in the slammer. Just look at her, man. She's just a kid." He said. Alby nodded. "I guess you're right. Besides, throwing her in the slammer might just bring on another…" he paused, searching for the right word. "Episode." He said finally.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Alby sighed irritably and went to open it. It opened to reveal a young boy standing outside, looking a little shy. He looked to be Astrid's age, with tousled black hair and innocent-looking green eyes. He looked at his feet.

"Uhm, I came to see the greenie." he said, his voice slightly nervous. "Well you're not allowed." Alby said curtly.

"Wait!" the boy stopped him before he could shut the door on his face. "I really need to see her." he added, as Alby opened the door again. He snorted. "And why, do you think, we'll let you do that?"

The boy paused for a second before answering.

"Because I remember her."

 **A/N: Omg, I am so sorry for the last sentence. It was something my wonky computer managed to do on itself. But please review! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: OHMYGODS OVER TWO-HUNDRED VIEWS YOU GOTTA BE KIDDING ME, LIKE, HOLY HEPHAESTUS! I was like: X_X *rubs eyes* omg. So… yep. Once again, I'm sorry for all the suspense and whacky stuff, but hopefully this chapter will clear things up a bit. Also, another GINORMOUS sorry for that stupid error in the last update. I really don't know what was wrong with the bloody compoopter.**

 **So aaaaaanyways. A thank you to lifelong potterhead, for pointing out that mistake! Also, for anyone who had to read that, this chapter starts with the ending dialogues, so that will clear up any confusion. Hopefully. :)**

 **Embers To Ashes: Hahaha, I'm so glad you like her! I like her too. And I'm also glad that you liked Lee so much, I didn't think any of my OCs would be that good. And don't worry. I'm weird pretty much all of my waking hours. :)**

 **BookWorm237: OMG thank you! We get to know what she was screaming at in this chapter… well, sort of. As for Teresa, well, I haven't really decided, but as of now, no, she won't be in the story. She might just come in at the end. I promise it won't affect the plot of the story, but yeah. I might change my mind later on, but who knows? :)**

 **Lifelong potterhead: First off, I want to thank you for pointing out that mistake. And THANK YOU for the compliment! It means so much to me; it really does. I wish I had left the last sentence on purpose, but haha. :)**

 **Enjoy!**

 **~.~.~.~.**

"And why, do you think we'll let you do that?" Alby snapped at the kid. The boy paused for a moment before answering.

"Because I remember her."

At first Newt didn't think he'd heard him correctly. _Remembered her_? How was that even possible?

The boy must've noticed their awe-struck expressions, for he quickly continued. "I mean, of course, I don't remember _everything_ , but I think I know why she's so crazy. I mean, it's just like, splotchy memories, but enough for me to piece together a small picture." He spoke rapidly, as though he was nervous that they might've tried to stop him mid-sentence.

Alby sighed. "Come on in." He closed the door behind the kid. Astrid looked up at the new arrival, and once more, started screaming. She hugged Newt again and held out her hand towards the boy.

"YOU HAVE TO HELP ME! PLEASE! HELP ME!" her voice took on a maniacal tinge. Everyone expected the boy to scream and run out yelling "LUNATIC ALERT!", but he did no such thing. Almost as though he was accustomed to this sort of behavior, he walked up to where she sat, and took her hand. She stopped screaming.

"I'm right here." He said. Astrid beamed at him. She seemed to have forgotten her ordeal of the previous minute, for it seemed as if she were as happy as ever. The immediate shifts in the greenie's mood was making Alby's head ache.

"That's it. I can't take anymore of this klunk. I'm outta here." He said, walking to the door. He stopped and turned to look at Newt. "Tell me every word this shank says." He pointed towards the boy, before walking out.

Thomas, for the first time, was speechless. He had gazillion un-answered questions, but he decided against blurting them. He wanted to see what this boy remembered, though he didn't recall knowing his name.

"You're the greenbean who came before Chuck, right?" Newt asked him. He nodded.

"Astrid!" Astrid piped up again, letting go of Newt, who she'd been clinging to till now. The boy smiled. "Hello Astrid. I'm Keith. It's a pleasure to meet you." He spoke with politeness and ease. Newt raised an eyebrow at him.

"Alright then Keith. Spill. What do you remember about this shank?" he asked. Keith got up shakily and sat down on a chair. He looked at his hands, his expression sad. Whatever memory had come to him must not have been good.

 _If only they knew_ , he thought bitterly. He looked up. "Like I said, it's splotchy. I remember fragments. But she was there." He pointed to Astrid before continuing. "We were lying on beds; hospital beds, I should think, with all these wires running along our body, and these liquids being pumped into our veins. Then these people came in and started talking some klunk about some experiments and monitoring our resistance. They did something on some computers, and suddenly Astrid started screaming. Whatever they were doing to her was horrible."

He rubbed his forehead. "Her veins were bulging out, all green and sickly. Her face was filled with absolute terror and pain. I can see it in front of me now as well. Then, while she was still screaming, they started the same thing to me, and the memory ended." He took a deep breath.

"Guys, those people were torturing her." he concluded.

One could have heard a pin drop in the infirmary room. Astrid was happily playing with two of her flowers. The others were simply staring at Keith.

" _What_?" Newt asked, not being able to believe what he'd just heard.

Keith nodded. "Look, I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's the truth. Or at least, it's what I remember. Those people were experimenting on us. Trying to see how much we can resist. Trying to do stuff to us. Turning us into…" _monsters_ , he thought. But aloud, he simply motioned towards Astrid. "You can see."

"But why would they want to torture you guys?" Thomas finally broke his no-interruption rule. Keith shrugged. "Why would they send fifty young chaps into the maze? These Creators are weird." He said.

"That makes sense, I suppose. But you said they were torturing both of you. Why aren't you completely zonky like her? I mean, not that I'm complaining, one jacked-up greenie's enough, but why?" Newt asked. Keith shrugged again.

"They didn't torture me as much as her. She was their 'main candidate', whatever that means. I was sort of a side business." He answered. _As if_ , he thought. But there was no way he could say that out loud. If these people even got a tiny hint of who he really was, they'd kill him for sure. He'd have to keep the truth hidden. And that's why he'd come to see Astrid.

"They tortured her till the point where she snapped. That's why she's crazy." He added. Newt nodded, looking thoughtful. "But why would she scream when she saw us?" he asked.

"Maybe something about you two reminds her of the people who tortured her." Thomas suggested.

"I was there with her. I must remind her of them. I don't know why she would scream for Newt, but it has something to do with her past." Keith agreed.

"Are you saying the Greenie remembers everything?" Jeff spoke up for the first time. He'd been standing so quietly, they'd almost forgotten he was there. Newt turned to Astrid, hoping that for once, she would give them the answer they wanted.

"Astrid, do you remember anything about yourself?" he asked. Astrid tapped a finger against her chin, like a little kid who was pretending to think. "My name is Astrid, I am a girl, and I am weird." She said finally. "Weird?" Newt asked. Sure, the greenie was the textbook _definition_ of weird, but he didn't think she would say that about herself. On the brighter side, she had spoken in complete sentences, which was a relief.

She opened her mouth to say something, but Keith cut her off. "You're not weird Astrid." He looked the other boys. "She must've overheard someone say that about her when she was standing in front of the box." He added. Thomas' eyebrows scrunched together. There was something wrong with this picture, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Newt nodded again. Astrid seemed to have lost interest in their conversation, and was ripping off the petals on a flower and chuckling.

"Alright, that's enough story-telling for one time." Newt said, as he got up. He expected Astrid to protest, but she thankfully didn't. "Tommy, we need to finish your tour. Keith, watch the greenie. She seems to like you, so the chances of her screaming her buggin' throat off are fewer."

Keith nodded earnestly. He'd secretly been hoping for this. He needed to talk to Astrid alone, when no one was listening. Newt and Thomas headed out after a curt nod towards Jeff.

 _Jeff_ , Keith thought. He needed to get rid of him too. He went and knelt in front of Astrid, before looking up at Jeff.

"So? Whaddya think?" he asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of his voice.

"I think," Jeff replied, "That the Creators have lost their minds." Keith replied by laughing good-naturedly. "Is she okay now?" he asked.

Jeff nodded. "She's perfectly fine. Like I had told the others, this isn't some injury. She's literally hurting herself. He body is making itself bleed. It's crazy, but given Astrid, I think it's right to expect crazy." He looked like he wanted to say more, but was cut off by a scream, which Keith recognized to be Ben's.

"That sounded like Ben." He said, giving Jeff a look. Jeff sighed. "Yeah, things have been crazy with him too. Going through the changing, that poor sod is. Tell you what, do you think you can stay with the greenie? I need to go check on him too. Clint can't manage him alone." He looked pleadingly at Keith.

 _Score!_ Keith thought. He nodded. "Yeah. She looks calm now, so don't worry. I'll stay with her. You go check on Ben." He tried t sound as reasonable and mature as possible. Jeff nodded with a thankful expression, and headed out, closing the door behind him.

Keith's smile melted almost immediately, and he turned sharply to Astrid. He picked her off the bed by her shoulders. Not harshly, just enough to get her attention.

"Astrid, listen to me very _very_ carefully." He said, keeping his voice slightly low, so as to not risk anyone overhearing them, "No one can know okay? _No_ _one_. You don't tell anyone."

Astrid looked confused. "Tell what?" she asked, which for her, was the most non-crazy thing she'd said till now. Keith's expression was dead serious.

"What we can do. No one can know what we can do, what we really are. You know what you can do, don't you Astrid?" he asked her, not letting go of her shoulders. She nodded. He'd expected this. When he himself had woken up in the box, the only things he had remembered were his name, and what he could do. "I'm a freak." Astrid said sadly. Keith looked down.

"No." he corrected. " _We_ are freaks."

Suddenly Astrid's eyes widened with fear. She looked at Keith, her expression panicky. "They did this! They did this to me! They DID THIS!" she screamed.

Keith pulled her into a hug, trying to get her to calm down. "Yeah, I know. They did this to _us_. But you're safe now Astrid. You're good here." He said, stroking her hair. Jeff rushed in through the door, looking panicked as well.

"What happened? Is the greenie okay?" he asked, a little breathless. Keith nodded. "She's fine, mate. I've got her." Jeff nodded. He went back out and closed the door

Keith pulled away and looked at Astrid with stern eyes. "No one can know what we can do, Astrid. If they get to know, they'll throw us in the slammer, or worse, they'll banish us. Maybe they'll just kill us themselves. We can't tell anyone." He said. He hoped against hope that she understood. But he knew that even though she was completely crazy, she was clever. His tone must've been commanding enough, for she seemed to understand. She grinned at him.

"Astrid no telling!" she said proudly. Keith sighed with relief. "Good. No telling anybody. Anybody at all. And no showing them either. What we can do, it needs to stay hidden."

Astrid smiled wider. "Astrid no showing, no telling. Astrid good at hiding secrets. Astrid hide this secret very well!"

Keith put her back onto the bed. "Good." He said, his voice suddenly cold. "Now stay here. I'm going. I'll send someone to check on you."

He turned to leave, but Astrid caught his hand. He turned around and raised an eyebrow. Astrid was looking up at him.

"Please don't go." She said sadly. This wasn't her bizarre screaming. She actually wanted the boy in front of her to stay. "No." Keith said firmly. She looked at him with her big blue eyes, pleading. He huffed. "Don't give me the eyes, Astrid. I'm not staying."

"Please?" she said again, softer this time. Keith peered at her. He was the closest thing she had to a friend, the only one who remembered her, who _understood_ her. And the same went for Keith.

Ever since he'd come to the glade, he'd tried to keep himself hidden. Even though he knew he could do more, he'd gotten a job with the track-hoes, trying to blend into the shadows. He'd spent his nights terrified and alone, because he knew no one would understand what he was going through. He couldn't tell anyone. He'd been completely alone. Until now. Now that Astrid was here, he had someone who shared his situation.

So sighing softly, he sat down beside her, much to her utter delight. She grinned at him, and went back to ripping the petals off the flowers. And even though he couldn't understand it, he found himself smiling too.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: There. An un-Cliffy ending for y'all. I'm so nice :).**

 **Lol, I'm kidding. Anyways, I hoped you enjoyed that chapter, and I hoped it cleared a few things up. Things will become even more clear once the story progresses. So… Yep.**

 **Please review and tell me what you think! And feel free to ask me questions about the story! If you have any suggestion, I'll be glad to hear them and will try incorporating them in my story too! Criticism is perfectly welcome; everyone has room for improvement, eh?**

 **Until next time then,**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hello again! Here's the fifth chapter of my story, and it's kinda important. Well, no, it's really important. Because, well, you'll see.**

 **Embers To Ashes: Yes, I was surprised too. But it thought you awesome people deserved it, so I threw in an un-cliffy ending. *Angelic look* If that's your opinion of Keith, well, okay! :)**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you! I hope this chapter is good too. :)**

~.~.~.~.

"Lights out y'all!" Newt called out. Keith walked over to his hammock, and lay down. Astrid had been given the hammock next to him, seeing to the fact that they got on fairly well. Newt cast one last look at Astrid, and drifted off to sleep.

Sleep wouldn't come so easily to Keith, though. He tossed and turned restlessly. The day's events had taken their toll on him. He was now more terrified than ever. If anyone got to know… he'd be dead. Of course, that had always been the situation. But now, he was concerned for Astrid too. Sure, she was annoying. But she looked to him as a brother, and though he didn't like it, he found himself seeing a sister in her too.

"Keethie no sleep?" Astrid called over. Keith groaned. "Go to sleep Astrid. I'll fall asleep. You don't need to worry about me." He called back. His hammock was right next to the forest, to provide an easy getaway for his… episodes, as Alby had called them. He almost laughed out loud. They thought Astrid was the only freaky one. She just didn't know how to hide it. Keith, on the other hand, was very talented at hiding things.

Astrid's face appeared over him. She looked confused. "Keethie no sleep." She said, this time, a statement. Keith sighed, and closed his eyes, just to have her go away. He could feel her pat his forehead rhythmically. Apparently the plan of having her go away didn't work out so well.

But strangely, he started feeling drowsy. The patting brought on a calming rhythm. He tried to keep himself awake, but before he knew it, he was lulled into the comfort of sleep.

 _He is younger, maybe twelve or eleven. He runs desperately for his life, but he doesn't know what he's running from. A girl runs beside him. He looks at her, expecting Astrid's face, but it isn't her. It's someone who he doesn't know. At least, the real version of him doesn't. The memory version seems to know her very well. She's older than him, and grips his hand tightly, pulling him along._

" _Hurry up Keith! We need to get Astrid as well!" the girl calls back. The memory version of Keith nods, but he is tiring. Finally, when he is about to stop for breath, the girl stops in front of a door. She kicks it down, and Keith is surprised to see it give away._

 _Inside lies a girl, with wires snaking over her entire body. She's dressed in a simple white hospital gown, and seems to be his age. He'd recognize that face anywhere. "Astrid!" he exclaims, running over to her. He shakes her shoulders, but she seems to be knocked out cold. "Astrid wake up!" He cries. The girl is unresponsive._

 _Meanwhile, the other girl has equipped herself with a long rod. She glances at him warily. "Keith, we need to go!" She yells. The memory version of Keith knows she is right, but he refuses to leave Astrid. "We can't leave her Gail!" he yells back._

 _Gail, so that is the name of the other girl. Real Keith feels like he knows her, but can't place her face. He hopes this memory tells him that._

 _Gail nods. "But she's passed out." She speculates. "You're going to have to carry her Keith. I'll fight anything that comes our way. All you need to do is to protect yourself and her." she raises the rod and walks steadily towards the door. She is poised for attacks, and nothing will take her by surprise._

 _Memory Keith drapes Astrid's arm around his neck, and picks her up. She starts slumping to the floor, but he steadies her by putting his other arm around her. He walks over to Gail, but he is slow; Astrid is slowing him down._

 _They had originally planned on fighting with two people, Astrid tailing them. But now they are improvising. Gail has to protect both of them, and she seems to accept her duty._

 _Carefully, they walk out. Nothing greets them immediately, but Real Keith knows it won't be long before something comes their way. "Keith are you sure you know this place?" Gail asks. She walks in front of them, holding up the rod. Keith replies with a curt "Yes."_

 _He could use his power to get them out, but it's too risky. He might end up hurting all three of them. Real Keith doesn't know why memory Keith cares for this girl Gail so much._

" _This is too slow. Can you run?" Gail asks, turning back. Keith nods, and she steps towards them and slings Astrid's other arm around her own neck. Now sharing the burden, the two of them begin to run, Keith spurting directions. Astrid is being dragged by them, but is oblivious to everything._

 _The first threat comes moments later. Three men in uniforms spot them, and are, needless to say, very surprised to see them. They have guns, but Gail is quicker. She drops Astrid, leaving Keith to bear the burden. She swings at one of them with the rod, knocking him out before he even realizes what is going on. She grabs the gun from him, and points it at the other two. She has the element of surprise. She pulls the trigger, twice. Both the men fall down from wounds in their chest. They are sure to die._

" _Come on!" She yells at Keith. She grabs the other guns as well, slinging one on her back, and holding up two. Her face is greased, but there is fiery determination there._

 _With the guns in her hands, she cannot carry Astrid. Keith accepts his duty and follows Gail's running footsteps. He is tiring by the moment, but thankfully, the exit is close. Wherever this is, it isn't very big._

 _Just when they are about to throw open the exit door, a voice calls out from behind them. They whip around, to see at least ten men in uniforms, with guns aimed at them. A man in a white lab coat stands in front, smiling. Never has any smile looked so sinister._

 _Real Keith knows how terrified memory Keith is. The man spreads his arms. "Come now. After all we have given you, you want to run away?" he says. "You turned us into MONSTERS!" Keith yells at him, tears falling down his cheeks. Gail simply glares._

" _I turned you into masterpieces." The man corrects. Gail screams, and does something stupid, rash and impulsive._

 _She shoots him in the head._

 _The bullet enters his forehead before he can realize what happened. His expression is shocked. The men are a little taken aback, and Gail uses this opportunity to throw open the exit door. Keith runs out with Astrid, the cool midnight air welcomed on his tear-stricken face._

 _A few meters ahead, he can see a small boat. He starts to run over, but from behind them, there is gunfire. He instinctively ducks, and can feel a bullet whizzing by from above him. He is terrified, and that makes him bolt._

 _He is slowed down by the limp girl he carries. He can hear Gail emptying the bullets into the men, and every once in a while, he can hear a cry of pain, which means Gail has hit them._

 _Due to the darkness of the night and the lack of lights at whatever facility this is, the men are missing their targets. Keith reaches the boat, and dumps Astrid in it, jumping in himself. He turns back and waits for Gail. She shoots down the last one of the men, and runs over. But she is slower than usual. Her face is sad._

" _Keith, listen to me. More people are going to be here any minute. They won't let you guys escape. Someone needs to hold them back." She says, her voice stern. It is then that both Real and memory Keith realize what she is about to do._

" _NO!" Keith screams. He is crying again. "I won't leave you!"_

" _You have to. If you don't, none of us will make it out. I can hold them off long enough for you to escape. Please Keith, we don't have much time. I won't make it anyway." Gail replies, and looks down at her stomach. The light is less, but enough for Keith to make out the bullet wound in her stomach. Her white shirt is stained red. He looks at her with a mixture of horror and despair._

" _Go. You need to escape. That is what matters most." Gail says it firmly. Already he can hear people screaming orders. The men will be here any moment._

 _Keith is bawling by now. "I can't leave you." He manages. Gail smiles sadly. "Sometimes we need to do things that we don't want to." She says. She wraps her arms around him in a hug. She pulls away and kisses his forehead._

" _I love you, baby brother." She says._

 _She snaps the rope tying the boat to the shore, and kicks it away. She smiles again at Keith, before turning around. The men have come by now, and they all hold their guns to her. Keith hears her yell defiantly and the rest is drowned out by gunshots. The memory goes black._

Keith woke up screaming. Thankfully his hammock was a little far from the others. He thought he hadn't woken anyone up, but he missed Astrid cranking an eye open. He was too focused on the blood flowing out of his mouth.

But he was used to this by now. It had happened many times since he'd come to the glade, and always after he had a memory. Keith could feel his face wet from tears; he must've been crying in his sleep.

But he needed to get away. If anyone saw him bleeding, it wouldn't be good. Once again, he reluctantly felt the need of using his powers. He imagined a spot in the forest, beside the small lake they had, next to the deadheads. He imagined every detail of it, and closed his eyes.

When he opened them, he found himself standing in the exact spot he had imagined.

Teleportation.

That was Keith's power. He hated it. It made him a freak. Thankfully no one knew. Of course, Keith's other ability kept them from knowing.

He stepped into the clearing, and looked around for anyone. Of course, it was the middle of the night, and no one would be here, but it was always good to be safer. Once he was sure there wasn't anyone around, he willed himself to turn visible again.

Invisibility.

That was Keith's other power. He hated it almost as much as his first, but he needed to use his powers sometimes, as much as he despised doing so.

He was violently coughing up blood now, but he made sure to do it in the deadheads. Anyone seeing the blood would think it's from the corpses. Multiple wounds were appearing all over his body. Every nerve screamed in pain, but he wasn't scared or shocked. He just waited for it to pass; it always did.

The first time it had happened, it had been his second day in the glade. He had been terrified, and his clothes had been soaked in blood. He thought he was going to die, and he'd come here, using his power. He'd sat beside these corpses, thinking that he'd join them soon. But it never happened. After a while, the bleeding simply stopped. The wounds disappeared, healing themselves. His shirt was bloody, and so he had to burn it to keep it hidden. He had burned five shirts since then. Five times he had remembered important things, mainly things about himself and Astrid. Every single one of those times, he would start bleeding. He would come here and wait for the horrible things to get over. This shirt was going to join the five previous ones.

By now he'd figured out the reason. The people who had turned him into what he was, they had also done something else to him. They had somehow programmed his body to bleed itself, whenever he had a memory. Tiny glimpses, those he had all the time. But if he started remembering too much, he would start bleeding from his mouth. It was apparently their way of keeping him from remembering everything.

He simply sat down, trying to keep the blood away from his clothes. He liked this shirt, and would not fancy burning it. While he waited for this to end, he thought about the memory he'd just had. Obviously it was important; he wouldn't be in this situation if it wasn't. He didn't go on self-destruct for tiny things. The girl he had seen, Gail, she had been his sister. She had given her life so that Keith and Astrid could escape from wherever it was they were being kept.

That must've been where they tortured them. Where they experimented on them. Where they turned them into the freaks they were today. Keith could feel a loathing for the guy in the lab coat, the one Gail had killed. Even though he didn't remember her much, he could feel his heart breaking at the thought of Gail sacrificing herself for them.

Lost in thought, he didn't notice the little bird land on the ground beside him. It let out a little chirp, and settled on his knee, successfully diverting his attention from his memories. He looked at the little bird and smiled. It was a pretty little thing. He didn't know what kind it was, but it had blue feathers and a moderately long beak. He stroked its head with a finger. The bird looked up at him with its beady eyes, seeming almost… confused.

Anyone else in his situation would have regarded the bird as an animal of the wild. Maybe petted it, but paid it no further attention. Keith however, knew better. He held out a finger, and the bird hopped on. He brought the bird up, and smiled again. He spoke softly.

"Hello Astrid."

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuun! Yeah, sorry, I really do love writing cliffies. :)**

 **Please review and tell me what you thought about the developments in this chapter! I don't know how this chapter was, but I promise, if things are strange now, they will be cleared up as the story progresses. Please Please Please review and tell me how I did! It'll make me real Happy! :))))**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: HOLA MI AMIGOS! I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. Really, I'm sorry. But the thing is, I have a lot of work to do, and I am very busy. So with a heavy heart, I have to say that I can't update as fast as I did for my other stories. Also, the beginning of this chapter takes place simultaneously with the beginning of the previous chapter. Just to make it less confusing. If still is so, do tell me, and I'll try to change it accordingly.:)**

 **Embers To Ashes: We get to know more about their abilities in this. Well, sorta. But THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!:)))))**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you so much! It made me so happy, reading you review!:) And another thank you for pointing out the error. I'll go back and change it. :)**

 **Right. Enjoy!**

 **Aidan: Well hello there everyone! I'm just here to say that-**

 **Me: GET OUT! GET OUT RIGHT NOW! THIS ISNT EVEN YOUR STORY!**

 **Aidan: Sheesh dude. I was just giving them a warning about your cliffies…**

 **Me: OUT!**

 **Aidan: *slunks away***

 **Me: Yes. Better. Please read! :)**

~.~.~.~.

"Lights out y'all." Newt said, as he climbed into his hammock. Minho had the one beside him, and Alby had the one on the other side. Minho hadn't met the new greenie yet, but he had been bursting with questions about her. It was all Newt could have done not to strangle him.

Minho was still grumbling about how they hadn't let him meet the Greenie when he went to sleep. As much as Newt wanted for his best friend to meet Astrid, he knew she needed to be introduced gradually to people. Too many new faces in one day could have set her off. She seemed to get along fine with Keith, but the kid seemed slightly irritated by her presence. Oh well, that would have to change. He was the only one she laughed and seemed to enjoy herself with. Other than Newt.

For some unexplained reason, Newt felt protective of her. He refused to let anyone hurt her. When Alby had suggested punishing her, he was completely sure that he would have done absolutely anything to stop that happening.

Minho was out like a bulb in no time. One of his arms hung out of the hammock, and he was snoring. Not too loud, but snoring all the same. Newt rolled his eyes, and laughed. Alby settled down on his hammock as well. Previously that day, Newt had reported every word of what Keith had said to Alby. He left out nothing, but it didn't help. The leader had seemed even more confused than before.

"So?" Alby asked. Newt turned to face him. "What do you think of the new Greenie?" he continued.

Newt looked over to where Astrid lay. She was in a hammock beside Keith. He couldn't see her features from so far away, but he hoped she was getting a peaceful sleep. He sighed to himself. "I don't know, Alby. I don't know. She's crazy, there's no doubt about that. But somehow, I like her. She's a nice shank, I can tell you that for sure."

Alby nodded. He'd never been one for feelings, but even he couldn't deny the fact that Astrid was a sweet little kid. Her innocence and oblivious nature made her endearing. Of course, one would just have to ignore the screaming and gore.

Newt put his head on his makeshift pillow. "Night Alby." He said. He didn't even hear Alby replying, before he dozed off.

 _Newt is suddenly twelve years old. He sits in a chair, and everything seems completely normal. Except one thing. He is tied to the chair. Ropes bind his whole body to the piece of furniture. They graze his wrists, and scrape the exposed skin of his legs._

 _He doesn't know where he is. He is in his own body, but it seems foreign. It is as though he is himself, but not completely. The confusion makes his head ache. But something about this scene seems familiar. With a start, he realizes he is having a memory._

" _Are you okay?" he finds himself saying. The worry is evident in his voice. His eyes focus on something in front of him, and he is surprised at how he didn't notice this earlier. A girl sits opposite him, bound, like himself. A wound is bleeding on her head. She seems dazed and saddened. But even though she is younger, not more than nine or ten, he recognizes her face. The blue eyes, the blond hair._

 _The girl is Astrid._

 _His memory self apparently knows her very well. He also seems to care for her, because he seems to be truly worried for her. She looks at him with frightened blue eyes. "I'm fine. But what is this place, Newt? Why were we brought here?"_

 _He is surprised at how normal she sounds. There is no trace of the craziness in her voice. But memory Newt doesn't seem surprised at all. He seems simply worried. Astrid has the squeaky voice of a nine-year-old. Newt shakes his head. "I don't know Astrid. I really don't know. I just know that I won't let them harm you." He says reassuringly. His words feel empty, even to him._

 _Astrid seems a little comforted by this, but it is short-lived. Suddenly the door to whatever room they are being kept in is thrown open, and armed men file in. Astrid shrieks and Newt just stares at them with wide eyes."Go away!" he yells, but knows not the reason. Even Real Newt, who has no idea what is going on, can tell that these men are here to harm them. A man in a white lab coat greets them. He looks like a pig decided to throw on some scientist's clothes. His nose and mouth are scrunched together, and his eyes bulge out. His hair is thinning and Newt can see his disgusting scalp through it. He feels like a threat._

" _Now there. You should know who I am, shouldn't you?" the man sneers. "I am Professor Gray. I am here, because I want to help you. I want to make you more powerful than you can possibly imagine."_

 _Newt can't believe this guy. He looks menacing, and yet he is telling them he can help them? Newt doesn't believe one word of it. His doubts are confirmed by what the man says next._

" _Of course, it will hurt, but after the process, you will see why we did this to you." He says. Newt decides on the spot that he won't go anywhere with this man. He looks at him sternly and says "No."_

 _The man looks confused. "Excuse me?" he asks, as though he cannot believe that someone would have the nerve to speak to him like that. Newt's gaze doesn't falter. "You heard me sleazeball. We ain't going anywhere with you." He says, looking Gray right in the eyes._

 _Gray simply stares at him for a second, his eyes narrowed. Then he sneers wider. "Fine. If you won't come, we'll take you by force."_

 _A shiver runs down Newt's back. Astrid is screaming profanities at Gray, "You can't take us anywhere if we don't wanna go." Newt says in what he hopes is a threatening voice. Gray's expression doesn't change. "Oh I didn't tell you?" he says with mock innocence, "We don't need both of you. We only want her." he points to Astrid._

 _Immediately, both Newt and Astrid launch into protests. Astrid is crying and Newt struggles desperately against his bonds. Three giants run forward and seize him around the arms. They undo the ropes and start dragging him off. He struggles as hard as he can against them, thrashing wildy. He claws at everything his hands touch, in an attempt to stop these men from harming Astrid._

 _Gray shakes his head. "I knew your mother." He says. Newt stops struggling for a moment. "What would she say about you if she saw you here. You can't even protect her." he looks at Astrid. This seems to give Newt a new burst of strength, and he leaps at Gray. He punches him across the jaw and furiously begins to untie Astrid's ropes. But he doesn't go far, when Powerful fingers wrap around his arms once more. They start dragging him away from Astrid._

" _NO! NO! YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Astrid screams. These are the exact words she had said when she saw Newt in the infirmary. "NO YOU CAN'T TAKE HIM AWAY!"_

 _She is bawling by now, trying to escape her ropes. Newt tries to reach her, but is stopped by these animals who are tearing them apart. He is crying as well, and the tears wet the front of his shirt. Gray gets up and wipes the blood off his chin. "You're going to wish you hadn't done that Blondie." He snarls. He takes Astrid's chin and forces her to look at him. "I have big plans for you." He says in the most sinister manner possible._

 _A last effort escapes newt, but he knows all hope is lost. They are dragging him out the door, when they stop. "What do we do with this one?" one of them asks. Gray shrugs. "Our killzone department will need him." He says nonchalantly. Astrid is screaming and Newt is once again struggling, as the men drag him out the door._

" _I'll see you again!" he manages to yell, before the door closes, separating them._

 _The memory goes blank._

Newt woke up screaming. The scream that escaped him when the door closed continued into his woken-up self.

His scream was so sudden and startling, that Alby woke up as well. He grabbed a knife and swung it, trying to hit a threat that didn't exist. Minho was so surprised, that he fell off his hammock. He whipped his head around, trying to find the source.

Newt felt a little silly for screaming like that, but the memory had rattled him to the core. It all fit in place. Who Astrid was, why she was so crazy, and why she had screamed when she'd seen Newt.

"Newt, man, what the shuck?" Minho grumbled. "What happened? Why were you screaming like a little girl?" Alby snapped. Newt looked at his hands, unable to believe it. He looked up at Alby. "I remember her. I remember Astrid. I know who she is." He spoke, his voice shaky. Alby raised an eyebrow. "Really? Who is she?"

Newt took a deep breath. This explanation fitted everything. When he spoke, his voice was even more shaky than before. But he was sure of it. The memory had told him enough.

"She's my sister."

~.~.~.~.

Astrid morphed back to human form and put an arm on Keith's shoulder. Her shape-shifting made it hard to recognize her, but he'd have recognized those blue eyes anywhere. "Keethie dying?" she asked innocently. Keith shook his head. The whole self-destruct phase was over. "Keethie go? Astrid sleepy." She said.

Keith nodded, but he was still shaken from the memory. His shirt was bloody. He needed to burn it. But the memory had resurfaced a sadness inside him.

He felt tears brimming in his eyes. He was tired of hiding all the time. He couldn't even speak to a Glader without being afraid. Fear ruled his days and haunted his nights. He just wanted all this to end.

He didn't want to seem like a weakling, but he couldn't help it. He pulled Astrid into a hug and cried into her shoulder. She didn't say anything to calm him. Perhaps she didn't understand why he was crying. She stroked his back and patted the back of his head. She simply let him empty his tears.

And that's what he did. He emptied everything he'd been holding in. He let his tears drain him of all the fear and helplessness he'd had to bear since the first day.

After what felt like an age, Keith stopped crying. He pulled away from Astrid and looked down, wiping his eyes. Astrid took his face and made him look at her. "Keethie go back now?" She asked. Despite himself, Keith let out a small laugh.

"It's Keith, Astrid. Not Keethie. And yes, Keith can go back now." He stood up. He took off his upper shirt which was soaked in blood. He looked around for something to light a fire with, when he remembered Astrid's powers. He held up his shirt. "Astrid? Can you rip this thing apart for me?" he asked.

At first Astrid didn't seem to understand. Keith mimicked ripping something apart with his hands, and Astrid nodded enthusiastically. Her hands turned into claws of a tiger, and she ripped the shirt to shreds. When each piece was a miniscule shred, he told her to stop. Her hands changed back to human form.

Keith washed his face and neck in the lake, wiping away any traces of blood. The wounds had disappeared. He decided to change clothes as soon as he got back. They weren't soaked in blood like his shirt had been, but they still had little red flecks all over them. The T-shirt he was currently wearing had a red stain on the shoulder. He turned back to Astrid.

"Let's go Astrid." He said. He had half a mind to use his powers to get there, but if anyone saw him materialize, he'd be in serious trouble. He took Astrid's hand and they started walking back to the glade, Astrid humming happily to herself.

~.~.~.~.

It was the next morning.

Keith hadn't slept very well the previous night. After his memory, he kept seeing Gail's face in front of his eyes. He'd had only two hours after he got back, but even those two hours had been spent in restless tossing and nightmares.

He was working in the gardens, pulling out weeds. Astrid stood beside him, pointing to the flowers in midst of the weeds and exclaiming "Pretty!" every now and then. Sometimes if she really liked a flower, Keith would let her pick it. She found a blue flower and stuck it behind her ear. She grinned widely at Keith, who gave her a small smile. She was so innocent. She didn't deserve to be put here.

Astrid plopped down on the ground and let out a little huff. "Bad sun." she said, frowning up at the bright thing in the sky. She wiped some sweat off her brow and looked around. "Astrid thirsty." She declared.

Keith pulled off his gloves. He sighed and looked at her. She was doing her 'big pleading blue eyes' thing again. He laughed and shook his head. "I'll get you some water. Stay put." He walked off towards the kitchen.

He was halfway there when Newt came up to him, running. Alby and Thomas were close behind. Minho must've already left for the maze. Newt stopped in front of him and grabbed his shoulders. "Where's Astrid?" he sounded panicky and out of breath. For a moment, Keith didn't know what to say. Alby seemed to understand. He put a hand on Newt's shoulder. "You'll give the kid a heart attack Newt. Calm down, Astrid aint going anywhere." He said.

"What's going on?" Keith asked, sounding bewildered. "I need to see Astrid." Newt replied. "There's something I need to tell her. It's something I remember about her."

"Well yeah, I'll take you to her. But what do you wanna tell her?" Keith asked. Newt opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.

A bone-chilling scream rang throughout the Glade.

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I'm so deviously eviiiiiil. ;)**

 **So, yep. Please review! Tell me what you think of this chapter and how I can improve. Once again, truly sorry if the chapter wasn't good. I needed this chapter to tell y'all the relation between Newt and Astrid. But anyways.**

 **Favourite, follow and review! Any three make me extremely happy!**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: HELLO! I really am sorry, I know, I haven't updated in like, a gazzilion years, but I'm writing whenever I get time….**

 **This chapter might not be so good, but I tried my best. Please review and tell me what you think of it!:)**

 **Embers To Ashes: Thank you! Um, I didn't add Lee in the intro because…. Well…. Um…. I'm really glad you could figure out the thing about Newt and Astrid! Hehe.**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you! I know, reading cliffies can be a pain. But writing them is really quite a lot of fun. ;)**

 **Guest: Thank you for reviewing! I wont lie, I almost yelled out loud when I saw your review! It made me so happy! I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Enjoy!**

 **Lee: You know, that sounds like you're threatening them. Like saying if you don't enjo-**

 **Me: OUT! HOW ARE YOU EVEN HERE? ARENT YOU SUPPOSED TO BE…. AND THIS ISNT YOUR STORY EITHER. OUT!**

 **Aidan: Told you Lee. Wizard's lost it. Every single last marble has been lost.**

 **Me: SHUT IT!**

 **Lee: It's your mind, doof. I'm in your imagination. You can do whatever you want to me in your story, but I'm always there in your imagination.**

 **Me: ….**

 **Me: That's….**

 **Me: Disturbing.**

 **Me: STILL! OUT! BOTH OF YOU!**

 **Me: ONTO THE STORY!**

~.~.~.~.

For a horrifying moment, Newt harbored the thought that the scream had been Astrid's. He almost began to panic, when Alby shot him a nervous look. His face looked shocked and grim. "That came from the maze." He said.

Not wasting another moment, Newt ran towards the entrance of the maze, Alby and Keith in tow. Their footsteps thudded on the grass of the glade. Newt wanted desperately to see Astrid, to tell her about their relation, but it would have to wait. Whoever made the scream must have been in serious trouble. It was a scream of pure terror.

The gladers had already begun to gather at the mouth of the east wall. Newt and Alby pushed through the crowd, and Keith followed them. He didn't know why. Perhaps curiosity got the best of him.

Everyone was staring into the long corridor, hoping to see some sign of the person who had screamed. They were all wondering if it was another runner, but something about the scream seemed different. It seemed higher pitched _. If Minho had drunk one too many cups of coffee_ , Newt thought _, he would sound like this_.

A moment later, a figure came lumbering into view, successfully snapping Newt from his thoughts. The person was staggering. It was too far to see, but Newt could clearly make out that the person was in pain.

"Help!" the person screamed at them. A few gladers had begun to run towards the figure, but they stopped dead in their tracks.

The voice belonged to a girl.

After Astrid, Alby was a little weary of girls. At least Astrid had gone a full five minutes without acting like a psycho. This one introduced herself by screaming.

He shook his head. There were more bewildering thoughts than this.

"It's a girl…" Newt stammered. He looked at his friend. "Alby? How is it that she's in the maze? She didn't come up in the box…" he said. His voice trailed off. The girl had just collapsed onto the maze floor. Even from this distance, he could see the marks of red her body left on the walls. "Please…" She croaked out. It was so soft, it was almost inaudible. But they heard it clear enough. Newt looked at Alby once more, asking for permission. Their leader nodded.

He limped into the maze, going as fast as his leg would carry him. As he got closer to the girl, he could see how bad her state was. A few other gladers were only steps behind him.

He reached her and grimaced. Her hair was dripping wet, from what, Newt didn't know. Possibly from sweat. She was struggling to keep her eyes open. There were multiple wounds all over her body, and a long, nasty gash across her stomach. Her clothes were soaked in black liquid.

He picked her up by her arms. Zart, who had come to help him, took her legs. They carried her into the glade, where they met the inquisitive eyes of all the gladers. They set her down on the ground, and Newt pushed her hair out of her face.

Keith's eyes widened, and he stumbled backwards. He let out a small strangled gasp of shock. His face was awestruck. "What's wrong, Keith?" Frypan asked. Keith didn't answer. He couldn't bring himself to talk. He recognized the girl. He recognized her features.

It was Gail.

"Keith, what's wrong?" Newt prodded. Alby shook is shoulders. "Hey, slinthead, speak up." He ordered. Keith met his fierce gaze with faltering eyes. He opened his mouth to speak, but his voice was trembling.

"I recognize her…" He said. He looked back at Gail. "She's my sister."

For a moment, no one spoke. They all simply stared at Keith, as though he had dropped some sort of bomb on them, which, in a way, he had. Then Newt finally found his voice.

"How do you know?" he asked. Keith opened his mouth to speak, but somehow, words did not escape his lips. He shook his head.

"Guys…" someone called out from behind them, "You need to see this."

They turned to see who had spoken, and found Jeff kneeling beside the girl. His expression was serious and grim. He looked like he wanted to say something, but couldn't bring himself to say it. "Out with it." Alby ordered. Newt didn't need Jeff to say anything. He looked closely the girl, and found the source of Jeff's worries.

Green veins were pulsing through the girl's arms. Her eyes were fluttering, and she was muttering gibberish. He'd seen this state before. It was what had happened to Charlie, Justin, and the most recent, Ben.

Jeff looked at Alby. "She's been stung."

~.~.~.~.~.

Newt, Alby, Thomas and Chuck crowded around the door to the infirmary room. Clint and Jeff were inside, bandaging up the girl's wounds. They had assured them that the wounds weren't deep. No one knew what had happened to the girl, but they knew that she had encountered a Griever. As soon as Jeff told everyone that she'd been stung, they had carried her off to the infirmary. She'd been given the Grief serum, and Clint managed to lessen their worries by telling them that she would come out of the Changing within a day or two.

Thomas paced restlessly. Newt and Alby were just sitting on chairs, waiting for news on the girl. Chuck just seemed totally hyped by the situation. He kept grabbing Thomas' arm and asking him questions. "Did you see her? What did she look like? Was there blood? Did she talk? Is she pretty?" the last one made Thomas look at Chuck with wide eyes.

"I don't know, Chuck. I was a bit preoccupied with the fact that she was dying." He answered. He knew Chuck was just trying to be friendly, but sometimes the kid could be seriously annoying. Chuck opened his mouth to blurt out more questions, but he was cut off by Keith, who came running through the door of the infirmary, Astrid on his heels. He stopped in front of them and put his hands on his knees, out of breath. Astrid looked around the place, confused.

"Where's Fairy?" she asked. All eyes turned to her. Keith held up his hand. "That's my fault." He claimed, looking a little sheepish. "I told her that my sister had just arrived in the glade, and she asked me if my sister was a fairy or not. She wouldn't budge until I told her that my sister was a fairy indeed."

Chuck burst out laughing, which earned him a glare from Alby. Newt didn't seem bothered by the fact that his sister had now opened a drawer, and was shoving her face inside, calling out to her fairy. He walked up to her and removed her head from the drawer. He held her by the shoulders, bending a little so that he looked her in the eyes.

"Astrid, do you remember me?" he asked. Astrid nodded gleefully. "Newtie!" she said. Newt shook his head. "No, not my name. I mean, do you remember who I am?"

Astrid looked at Newt blankly. Newt didn't give up. "Astrid, I'm your brother. Your big brother." He said. Alby didn't recall the last time he'd seen his friend be so soft and kind. Sure, Newt was probably the most likeable person in the Glade, much more so than himself, but with Astrid, it was different. His voice was never raised, and he barely used slang, which usually crept into each and every one of his sentences.

Astrid tapped her chin, looking up. Suddenly, her eyes grew wide and she grinned. "Brother!" she exclaimed, and proceeded to throw her arms around Newt. The look of happiness on Newt's face was indescribable. He hugged his little sister back, burying his face in her hair.

"Oi. Enough of this love-fest. We get it, brother-sister, happy reunion, lalalala, but we have more pressing issues." Alby said. Newt pulled away from Astrid and smirked at Alby. "Yes your Majesty." He said. Astrid went back to looking for her 'fairy'. She started opening bottles of water and peering into them as though she expected a fairy to pop out of it.

Jeff opened the door to the infirmary. He stepped out, looking a little pale. Clint walked out from behind him, muttering something about crazy creators. "How is she?" Thomas was the first one to talk.

"She's out of danger. Like I said. The wounds weren't deep. It's only the fact that she's been stung. Otherwise, she's perfectly fine." Jeff replied. "Y'all can come and see her. Clint and I cleaned her up nicely."

The gladers followed him through the door. Keith had to tear Astrid away from the bottle, promising her that she was about to meet her fairy. On hearing that, Astrid skipped into the room.

The girl lay on the bed, clad in white sheets. Everyone crowded around the bed, and Jeff excused himself to go help Clint with Ben. Keith took a chair beside the bed. He looked at his sister, soaking up every detail of her face. He was sure she had died trying to save them, but here she was right now, looking so peaceful, she could have been sleeping.

Keith hadn't seen many girls in his life (what he could remember of it), but he knew for a fact that Gail was beautiful. But it wasn't her beauty that one would notice first about her face. It was the long scar that ran from the centre of her forehead, down to just above her jaw-line. It ran over her left eye as well. Another thing that struck anyone looking at her was the eye-patch covering her left eye. It must have been to cover up whatever the scar had done to her eye. It was black and gave her a rugged look. It didn't mar her features, in fact, in Keith's eyes, it made her more eye-catching. She had long hair of a crimson color. He hadn't seen her eyes, but he knew from his memory that they were precisely the same color of green as his own were.

"You know her name?" Newt asked. It took Keith a moment to register that he had asked him. He nodded. "It's Gail."

"Gail. Hmm. Hopefully this one won't be completely crazy. No offense." Alby said, glancing sideways at Newt. Newt shrugged. He'd been hoping the same thing.

 _~.~.~.~._

 _Gail is sitting on a chair, facing about four people in white clothes. They all wear expressionless expressions. A boy and a girl stand on either side of Gail. She looks at the people. The last thing she remembers is running from that monstrous thing, pain coursing through her body, before everything had gone black._

" _Who are you? Where am I? Why can't I remember anything?" She asks, hoping to get some answers. The only thing she remembers of herself is her name. That and the fact that she has a little brother out there somewhere, a little brother named Keith._

 _One of the people speak up. He looks like a rat turned human. "That doesn't matter. What matters is how much attention you pay to what we are about to tell you." Gail sees no choice but to nod._

" _When you wake up, and yes, you are sleeping at the moment, you will be in a hospital. If we can call it that. You will be surrounded by boys, and you won't rememeber anything about yourself. You will wake up in the glade."_

 _None of these words make any sense to Gail, and she is about to ask, when the man cuts her off. "Be quiet and listen. When you wake up in the glade, you will be introduced to a girl among all the boys. The only other girl. This is her picture." He holds up a small picture of a smiling girl with blond hair and blue eyes. She looks innocent and sweet._

" _Your job, Gail, is to kill her."_

 _At first, Gail doesn't think she has heard him correctly. She scoffs. "And what makes you think I'll listen to a rat faced dude? Why would I kill an innocent girl?" she asks. The man's expression doesn't change._

" _She is far from innocent. She has caused us quite a bit of trouble, and we would like to pay her back. And you, Gail, will do this for us." He says._

" _Why?" Gail asks again. Fear creeps into her throat._

" _Because if you don't, we'll kill you and your brother." He replies. Gail must look as though she doesn't believe him, because he sneers for the first time. "This'll teach you about doubting us." He says. He pulls out a gun from nowhere, and without blinking an eye, shoots the girl standing beside Gail in the head. She falls to the floor in a heap, and the boy rushes to her. "Teresa!" he yells, clutching her lifeless body. Gail looks at the man in horror. She can't find her voice._

" _You…" she stammers. "Yes." He says, "This is what will come of your brother and yourself, if you don't kill the girl. Your time is short, Gail, we don't have too long. Tick tock…" she can feel dread settling on her. She needs to kill an innocent girl. But if doing that will protect her brother, then she is ready._

 _She doesn't even have time to reply, before everything goes black._

 _~.~.~.~._

The girl gasped and opened her eyes. All the boys scrambled back. Jeff had told them she would be out for two days at least. How was she awake now?

Her green eyes scanned the room. "Gail!" Keith said, enveloping her in a hug. She seemed to instantly recognize him, and cried "Keith!"

She pulled away. "What is this place?" she asked, looking around. Her eyes landed on Astrid and widened. Astrid clapped her hands. "Pretty!" she said, pointing at Gail.

Keith started talking, but Gail drowned him out. This was the girl she had been sent to kill. If she could kill her, Keith would be safe. Her throat constricted at the disgusting thought, but she knew she had no choice.

"Hey, greenie?" Alby asked. The girl seemed to be staring at Astrid. He took a step forward, but the girl jumped up, startling all of them. She grabbed a glass from the bedside table and lunged at Astrid, her expression ferocious, maybe even unhinged. The two girls fell to the floor, Gail on top of Astrid. The rest were too stunned to react.

As they watched, Gail brought the glass down hard on Astrid's head. The material shattered against her forehead, and blood started flowing down her face.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Um, yeah. Sorry. But please review! It makes me so happy! :))))) So sorry if the chapter is bad, but I'll tie up all the loose ends soon enough, don't worry. Please please please review! Also, please tell me any suggestions y'all might have for the story, I'd love to hear them! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: YASSS! Two chapters in two days! I'm loving writing this story! I've thought out everything, so I will not be abandoning it. Also, NINE HUNDRED VIEWS OMG *faints* AND 18 REVIEWS! *faints again***

 **Right. So. I'm sorry if this chapter aint good, but it's necessary. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Embers To Ashes: I'm really glad you liked the chapter! And omg, I didn't think anyone would like my OCs so much, it makes me so happy, seeing how much you liked Lee. :') And I do like writing cliffies, but I try and update soon, so as to not leave y'all hanging.**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you so much! I hope you like this chapter! I didn't think you'd like my cliffies though. ;)**

 **Fiercetiger333: Thanks! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Right then.**

 **Lee: You haven't done a disclaimer.**

 **Me: *sigh* I** ** _have_** **done a disclaimer. And is this going to be a routine, now?**

 **Aidan: Yep.**

 **Lee: I'll do it for ya.**

 **Me: But…**

 **Lee: Wizard DOES NOT OWN ANYTHING. ANYTHING AT ALL. ALL RIGHTS GO TO JAMES DASHNER. WIZARD'S BRAIN CAN'T THINK OF SUCH STUFF.**

 **Me: ….**

 **Aidan: Ouch.**

 **Me: That hurt man, that hurt.**

 **Me: BUT I OWN MY OCs THEY ARE ALL MINE YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO SAY IN THIS GET OUT OF MY SHUCK STORY RIGHT NOW.**

 **Lee: *laughs* sorry, I just needed the reaction. Don't worry, you have a nice brain.**

 **Me: Aww, really? :')**

 **Lee: No. *runs away***

 **Me:**

~.~.~.~.

Astrid screamed. With the glass shattered, Gail didn't have much of a weapon anymore. She raised a broken glass shard. Newt dove forward. She stabbed down to drive it into Astrid's skull, but Newt intercepted it, grabbing the sharp end. It cut his fingers, but he didn't care. He shoved Gail off of Astrid.

By now, the others had gotten over their shock. Alby and Thomas ran up and caught Gail's arms, trying to restrain her. She thrashed and kicked, screaming violently. Keith looked mortified by the whole situation. His sister had come back to him, only to attack his friend?

"LET ME GO!" Gail screamed. She was crying and yelling.

"Greenie, calm down!" Alby said. "You've been stung! It's an after effect of the Changing!"

Newt didn't pay attention to anything else. Astrid's head was bleeding profusely. "MED JACKS!" he yelled. On cue, Clint and Jeff rushed in. They didn't even bother asking. They simply picked Astrid up, and carried her away. Before going out of the room, Clint shot Newt a reassuring look, as if to say that they could handle this. Then they disappeared out of the room.

Gail had stopped thrashing. She was on her knees, her hands covering her face. Newt could tell that she was crying, but he felt no pity. He marched up to her and grabbed her collar, pulling her up to face him. "What the HELL was that?" He demanded. Gail was sobbing really hard.

"I don't know." She cried. "I really don't know. I felt so much pain and misery. When I saw her, I thought she was going to attack me. I really don't know what happened."

Newt let go of her collar. He understood this. Ben had sounded the same. Gail collapsed on the floor. "I'm so sorry!" she cried. Thomas reached down to pull her up, but she surprised all of them by jumping up herself. She ran out of the door, furiously wiping at her face.

Newt looked at Alby, who shrugged. "Guess all girls are psycho. Don't we live in a cheerful world." He said. Keith sat down hard on a chair. "Guys, I don't know why she did that." He said, looking at them helplessly.

Newt nodded. "It's not your fault Keith." He said. Keith shook his head. "Something's wrong. Gail would never do that."

"She's been stung. She's a little wonky now. I'm sure she'll be fine." Newt replied. He didn't believe it, but he didn't want Keith to know that. The girl, Gail, was pretty messed up, but at the moment, it made Newt's head ache to think about everything. So he simply didn't think about it.

Keith nodded, but he couldn't rid himself of the feeling that there was something majorly wrong with this.

~.~.~.~.

Teresa sat in front of the screen. On the screen were the on goings of Group A, where Gail had just attacked Astrid.

She couldn't help but marvel at WICKED. The technology was beyond any man's wildest dreams.

Gail had gotten stung all right, but only one memory was shown to her. Usually when one of the subjects got stung, they would be given all their memories, only to have them snatched away again. But Gail had been given only one. And even that wasn't real. It was completely computer generated, but it looked real enough to be true. Teresa obviously wasnt dead, and Thomas obviously wasnt in WICKED Headquarters anymore. They just needed to convince Gail of the task set for her. And their plan had worked perfectly. Gail was now intent on killing Astrid.

They didn't really need her to kill Astrid, of course. There was no point in that. This was another variable, thrown at them. They just needed to see what she did. What her responses were.

Teresa couldn't go into the maze now. Then Gail would know that the memory was a fake. This made her a little sad; she wouldn't get to meet Thomas for quite a while now. But she did what WICKED told her to do. If this was how they wanted to carry out their plans, then so be it.

Astrid and Keith were extraordinary. They had abilities one could only dream of having. Teresa didn't know how Dr. Gray had done it, but he had achieved his goal. He'd had to pay for it with his life, but Teresa had never liked him too much.

She couldn't help but feel sorry for Keith and Astrid. They were just kids, thrown into an unknown world where every step threatened their very existence. It almost made her doubt WICKED, but she knew that what they were doing was correct.

Still, as she flashed back to the emaciated bodies of Keith and Astrid she had seen in that boat, she felt a pang of despair. Dr. Gray had tortured them pretty badly. She had been almost happy when Gail broke in and rescued them. Gail had almost given her life, trying to hold back the men, but WICKED had rescued her. They'd picked her up in a helicopter. Teresa remembered seeing her when she arrived. She didn't recall ever seeing a stronger willed girl. Sure, Gail could be cold and rude, but if you got on her good side, she wouldn't hesitate to give her life for you.

Teresa turned back to the screens. Everything had been planned. Keith and Astrid's abilities, Newt and Keith's memories, Gail's task, everything. WICKED had many plans for the subjects; many variables to test them with. But the time for planning was gone. It had taken them several years to do so, but that phase was now over. It was time for the execution of their plans. They needed their responses, and they had many variables left to test. A very major one was about to be implemented.

The Gladers didn't know what was heading their way…

~.~.~.~.`.

Gail ran out of the door, wiping her tears. She stopped in the hallway and looked around. She spotted something that might have been the entrance. She spotted another boy coming towards her and let out another sob.

She ran towards the door and threw it open. Once outside, she was greeted by at least fifty boys, all looking anxious and worried. They all seemed a little startled to see her. She didn't care. She pushed through their group and started running. She didn't care where she was running to; she just wanted to run away from what she had done.

To her left, she spotted a forest and veered her footsteps that way. Every time her foot thudded against the ground, it sent shots of pain through her leg. She ignored it and simply ran.

She broke through the forest line and kept running. Finally, when her legs could take no more, she collapsed on the ground. She covered her eyes, trying to stop her tears, but they wouldn't stop. She didn't like crying, it made her feel weak. But every time she thought about the girl's face when she hit her with the glass, a new wave of tears would fall from her eyes.

She hoped the boys were convinced by the act she put up. The moment she realized she couldn't kill the girl then, she'd tried to make it sound as though she had done it on accident, and screamed and cried for the effect. She'd pretended to be distraught, and run out crying. It made her feel despicable, but she knew she couldn't do anything about it. Those were the fake tears she had shed. These were the real ones.

She tried to muffle her sobs. She had no words for how bad she felt, but even if she tried to convince herself that maybe, just maybe there was another way, the face of the girl would pop up in her head, the one who had been shot by the rat dude.

It didn't help that she seemed to be in an unknown place, with what seemed to be fifty boys and one girl. What made it worse was that she couldn't remember a thing about herself. Only her name, Gail, was what she could remember. And of course, she remembered Keith. She'd have to be dead to forget him.

Gail covered her mouth as another cry escaped her. She tried to cry softer, when a voice spoke up from behind her.

"Hey."

She spun around and saw a boy standing there. His face was unfamiliar. She didn't recall seeing him when she'd woken up. She turned away and hastily wiped the tears from her face, forcing herself to stop crying. She looked back at him and spoke in what she hoped was a stern voice. "Who are you?"

No luck. Her voice still broke. The boy smiled nervously and came to sit beside her in the dirt. She glared at him. "I asked you something." She said, not wanting to sound helpless. The boy shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I saw you run towards the forest, and you were crying, so I thought you might have done something bad, so I decided to follow you."

Gail glared harder. "I'm not weak. I don't need people to come check on me. And besides, I was heading back anyway."

The boy smiled again. "I never said you were weak. Crying doesn't make you weak, you know. It just means you're strong enough to face your emotions." Gail looked away from him, and rolled her eyes.

"I wasn't crying." She said. The boy scoffed and reached out with his hand. Before Gail could pull away, he wiped a tear from her cheek. She didn't know it had fallen from her eyes. "I can see that." The boy said, retracting his hand.

"What do you want? Why are you even here?" Gail snapped. She wasn't in the mood to talk, and this annoying boy didn't do anything to improve that mood.

"I felt a little bad for you, I guess. I've seen the other victims of the Changing. And when I heard the scream and then saw you run out crying, I knew you had hurt someone. Everyone was fussing over the people inside, and you ran here. So I followed you. I may be a Bagger. That doesn't mean I like seeing the dead bodies."

"You felt bad for me? Does it look like I appreciate sympathy?" Gail rounded on him. He held up his hands and laughed. "My bad." He said. "I didn't mean it that way. You should be going back now. That brother of yours will be worried."

Gail scowled. "Just go away. I'll come back when I want to." She said. But once again, her voice broke. The mention of Keith's name made the horribleness of her situation crash down on her. The boy seemed to notice this. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. Gail nodded, but a sob fought its way through her throat. She decided to play the weak-and-helpless girl again. Maybe that would hide her real tears.

She covered her mouth and was about to start weeping and bawling, but one glance at the boy, and she stopped. She somehow knew that this boy would see right through her, which was strange considering the fact that they didn't even know each other. Nevertheless, she wanted to avoid all suspicion.

So she wiped her tears again, and looked at him. "What happened after I…" she didn't need to finish. He understood. "I didn't see much after you ran out." He said. "But it probably isn't too bad if they aren't scouring the entire glade for you." He shifted uncomfortably. "Um, about what happened…" he started.

Gail cut him off. "I didn't know what I was doing. I felt like I was being tortured, and that made me go crazy. I didn't mean any of it." She said. She was surprised at how different her tone was with this boy. She sub-consciously had begun to show her true self.

The boy raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't talking about that. I don't even know what happened inside. I was talking about the you-running-out-like-your-pants-were-on-fire bit. You owe me an apology." He said. In spite of herself, Gail could feel a smile start to push through her features. She didn't allow it to show. "And why is that?" she asked.

The boy shrugged. "You stepped on my foot while running away. Do you even _know_ how much that hurts?" he said, sounding truly hurt. Gail couldn't stop the smile this time. "I'm terribly sorry. Please forgive me for stepping on your foot." She said with mock repentance.

The boy's eyes widened. "She smiles!" he said, pointing at her with an awestruck expression on his face. Gail wasn't in the mood for jokes. She had allowed herself the smile, but she needed to stay focused. She was here for one purpose only. She needed to kill the girl, or her brother would end up dead.

She peered at the boy, getting a good look at him for the first time. He had messy dark hair which swept over his forehead. His brown eyes seemed a little sad and broken. Despite his attitude, Gail got the feeling that this boy wasn't one for conversation. He had pale skin, deathly pale.

The boy sighed. "Come on. We really should get back. You can give the others your explanation when we meet them." He said, getting up. He started to walk away, but Gail called out "Wait!"

He stopped and turned to look at her. "I don't even know your name." she said. The boy shrugged. "And I don't know yours." He said simply.

Gail hardened her gaze. "Gail. My name's Gail." She said. The boy nodded.

"Well, they call me Dusk." He replied.

"Dusk." Gail repeated after him. He nodded again. "Yes, Dusk. It really isn't that difficult to pronounce, only one syllable." He turned and started walking again.

Reluctantly, Gail followed. She tuned out everything as she walked behind Dusk. Her mind was trained on one thing and one thing only. She needed to kill that girl.

 _But how could I kill such an innocent looking person?_ she thought. She remembered how the girl had called her pretty when she woke up. She hated herself, hated the rat dude, hated everything for making her have to do this. But she needed to. She needed to do this for Keith. She didn't care about herself, as long as her brother was safe.

Hoping to get some answers about her surroundings and sudden memory loss, she followed Dusk without another word. She only hoped he wouldn't see the tears that wet her face once more.

 **~.~.~.~.**

 **A/N: TA DA! Another un-Cliffy ending for all you wonderful people. I'm an Angel, aren't I?**

 **Lol, kidding. Sorry, I have a really bad sense of humor. But please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! I apologize if it was bad, but I needed to write this. I promise things will be explained in further detail as the story progresses. I have big plans for my OCs. ;)**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: HELLO. I'm so proud of myself. Three chapters in three days! YESSSSSSS HAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAH.**

 **Right. Sorry 'bout that.**

 **BUT I'M IN THE TYs OF REVIEWS! GET IT? twenTY!**

 **Embers To Ashes: I agree, Lee is probably one of my favourite OCs too. As for Gail, well, I respect your opinion! :)**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you! I didn't think anyone would like my cliffies, and it make me real happy to see that you do! :)**

 **.poppins: Hello and thank you for reviewing! I'm so glad you like my OCs! I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Okay, then…**

 **Lee: You're crazy.**

 **Me: Aww, how sweet.**

 **Aidan: Truth is always bitter mi amigo.**

 **Me: When did you learn Spanish!?**

 **Aidan: I'm a part of your imagination remember? So what you know, I know.**

 **Me: … whatever**

 **Me: Hey, I just realized. You guys didn't say any kick butt quotes in your story (Which, by the way, this isn't, just saying) So why don't you two say one now?**

 **Aidan: Good idea.**

 **Aidan: Courage isn't just being brave. It's knowing what to do, and when to do it, even if it means sacrificing yourself.**

 **Me: Aww, that's nice… Lee, your turn.**

 **Lee: Never put ginger in your pizza.**

 **Me: …**

 **Aidan: *throws out all the ginger and starts munching on his pizza* Lee has spoken.**

 **Me: … Right. Sorry I asked.**

~.~.~.~.

Thomas simply couldn't get his mind around all the crazy stuff that was happening. First he ended up in this place with large moving walls and a bunch of other boys. Then, a crazy deranged girl showed up and started having fits. And if all that wasn't enough, another girl showed up after her, and tried to kill her.

Could things get any weirder?

Apparently life took that as a challenge, because they did.

Newt paced in front of the door to the infirmary, shaking his head. "Can't believe… why… crazy people…" he was muttering to himself. Alby sat on a chair, looking ahead, with a blank expression on his face. Keith simply leaned against a wall and tried not to let the on goings drive him crazy. All he wanted to do at the moment was curl up into a ball and yell. Yell until his throat hurt. Yell until he could yell no more.

"Um…" Keith started. He wasn't sure how he was going to ask this, but he decided to give it his best shot. "Does anyone know where Gail went?"

Alby glanced up, but said nothing. Newt simply ignored him. Frypan was the one to respond. He, Zart and Chuck were standing together in a corner, trying to figure out what happened in hushed conversations. The burly cook cleared his throat. "Yeah, I saw her run into the forest. Someone took off after her. Dusk, I think." He said.

Keith didn't know what to feel at that. Some boy, whom he didn't even recognize, had followed his sister, which was something he should have done. Newt stopped in his tracks and looked at Frypan, incredulous. "Did you just say Dusk? _Dusk_ followed her?"

Frypan nodded. Thomas didn't recall hearing the name of any Dusk, but then again, he'd been in the Glade for a grand total of three days. "Why? Who's Dusk anyway?" he asked Newt. Newt shook his head in disbelief. "Dusk, he's a Bagger. The guy could compete with Keith here for the 'shank with the least words'. I've barely heard him speak ever since he came into the Glade, about a year ago. I mean, the Baggers aren't a bloody cheerful lot, but Dusk beats them all."

Thomas nodded. If this guy, Dusk, was as quiet as Keith was, there was no wonder he hadn't noticed him. "Why do you think she did it?" Thomas asked suddenly. Alby looked at him for a second before answering. "Told ya Greenie. She'd been stung. The shanks here do lotsa crazy klunk after they'd been stung." His voice was a little grim. Thomas couldn't help but think that maybe Alby had started liking Astrid. The kid was sweet and childish. One would have to be heartless not to like her. He gave Alby a curt nod. "Makes sense, I suppose. It would explain that dash she made to the forest. Oh and by the way." He said, adding a smirk for good measure. "You guys can't call me Greenie anymore. Gail's the new Greenie now."

Newt couldn't help but laugh at that. He'd decided that he liked this Tommy chap. Newt had tried to make many friends in the Glade, but only a few were close. Minho, Alby, and Newt had a feeling that Tommy's name would soon be on that list.

Keith had zoned out after Alby tried to explain why Gail acted like that. There was something drastically wrong with this picture. Even in his fragmented memories, he was pretty sure Gail would never start crying and shrieking like that. He was rattled out of his thoughts by the sound of the entrance door opening. Keith had rather been hoping that the door to Astrid's room had opened first, but then he saw Gail.

She looked terrible. Her eyes were red and puffy. The black eye-patch covering her left eye was a little crooked. Her red hair was messed up. She looked like she'd been crying.

A boy walked in after her. He looked to be her age, tall with dark hair and dark eyes. He looked at the people present in the room, sizing them up. Something about the boy's gaze creeped Keith out. It felt as though he was scanning his soul with those dark eyes. He looked at his feet. 'I'll leave you to it." He said before rushing out.

Gail seemed a little surprised at this, and she even called out after him. "Dusk?" but he was already gone. So this was Dusk. Gail didn't linger for too long on his absence.

She turned to Newt and walked up to him. "Is she okay?" she asked. Newt looked at her, unsure of what to say. This girl was the reason his sister was currently in the infirmary. She had attacked Astrid, but on the other hand, she seemed genuinely sorry for what she had done. Newt understood, of course, the reason. He'd seen victims of the Changing. If he thought about it, what Gail had done wasn't nearly as bad as some others.

He realized he'd just been staring at her, lost in thought. She'd asked him a question. "Um, we don't know yet." He said. Gail got a panicky expression on her face, and Newt quickly added "But Clint and Jeff said she'll be alright."

Gail seemed to relax just a bit. Then she raised an eyebrow at Newt. "Clint and Jeff?"

Newt smiled. "You've got a lot to learn, Greenie. No questions now, please. We'll explain everything later. Now, if it's all the same to you, I'm not in the bloody mood for questions." He told her. She seemed to understand.

The door to Astrid's room opened, and Clint came out. His expression was happy. Newt took that as a good sign. Keith was already at the door, trying to see inside.

"How is she?" Thomas asked the question on Newt's mind. Clint had to remove Keith's head form the tiny gap before answering. "She's good. The head injury wasn't really bad, and we've fixed a whole lot worse. Y'all can come see her now."

It took a moment for them to get in, because everyone started pushing and shoving each other to get inside. The minute they were in, Keith rushed over to Astrid.

"You okay?" he asked, looking at the bandage on her forehead for any signs of damage. Astrid nodded happily. "Astrid fine!" she said.

Her eyes landed on Gail. "Fairy!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together. Gail gave her a sad smile. "Hello. My name is Gail. Will you tell me yours?" she spoke as though she were speaking to a kid. Astrid chuckled. "Fairy!" she said again. "Astrid!" she pointed to herself. Gail's smile grew wider. "Astrid. What a nice name you have there."

Newt was looking at Gail and Astrid with a mixture of shock and awe. Not more than an hour ago, Gail and Astrid had been in a bloody fight. Now the two were talking like they were friends? Nevertheless, Newt had to admit, Gail was starting to seem like a nice girl. Sure, she'd had her _moment_ , but the way she spoke to Astrid, it reminded Newt of the way he himself spoke to his sister.

He walked up to Astrid's bed. "Hey." He said simply. Astrid looked at him in confusion.

"Who are you?"

Newt was so surprised, he literally staggered back. Thomas could see the look of hurt on his face. "It's me, Newt. Your brother." Newt said.

Astrid thought for a second then said, "I have no brother."

Thomas didn't think it would have been possible for someone to look as broken as Newt did. "Yes you do, Astrid. I'm your brother, Newt." He said. He took a strand of her hair and held it against his own. "See? The same color, remember?"

Astrid shook her hair free from Newt's hand. "Astrid no brother. Astrid all alone. All alone. Little Astrid. Newt isn't brother."

Newt wanted to punch something. How could this be happening? How could Astrid forget him? Him of all people? The others shot him a sympathetic look, but Newt wasn't going to give up. Even if he had to keep reminding Astrid every five minutes, he was ready.

"No, Astrid. You're not alone. I'm your brother. Trust me, you can ask anyone else. I'm your brother." Newt said, taking her shoulders. Astrid smiled.

"Of course! Newt is Astrid's brother! Happy Newt and happy Astrid. Only… Astrid don't remember. But its okay!" she hugged Newt. Newt hid a smile. His sister might have been crazy, but he cared for her. After all, she was his sister.

Astrid pulled away and looked at Keith. Everyone else in the room had been watching this conversation with open mouths. "Keethie!" she exclaimed. Keith laughed. "Astee!" he replied. Astrid seemed to find this extremely funny, for she burst into gales of laughter. Keith joined her. For a moment, it was easy to forget the situation they were in, looking at the two kids laughing like they all led normal lives. But they didn't. At least, nothing was normal for Gail.

As she watched her brother start tickling Astrid, to which Astrid responded by laughing even harder, she simply couldn't see how she could bring herself to kill Astrid. The others were smiling truly, but Gail's smile was a façade. She couldn't kill Astrid. But she had to.

Clint walked through the door, holding a syringe. Alby stopped him with a questioning look, and he tapped the syringe. "Medicine for her. She'll need it. It'll lessen the pain. I've given her one dose already, but she needs another now, if she's going to get a night's sleep." He explained. Alby nodded and let him walk past.

Newt glanced outside. It was night already? It seemed only hours ago that they had found Gail.

As Clint walked up to Astrid's bed, Astrid's eyes grew wider. She pointed at Clint and screamed. "NO! GO AWAY! NO HARMING ASTRID!" she cried. Clint looked shocked. "I'm not going to harm you Astrid. This is for your help." He said soothingly.

Apparently that was the worst thing Clint could have said at that point, because Astrid let out a shriek. She leapt forward and grabbed the needle from Clint, and before he got out of his shock enough to defend himself, she drove the needle into his collarbone.

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Wow, I really am evil with those cliffies. I'm really tired today, so this author's note wont be long.**

 **I do apologize for the bad chapter, but it was necessary. Next will be better, that's a promise. But please review, favourite, follow or fav. Maybe even all three if my story is worth it! :)**

 **A fellow glader.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hello there! I'm really tired, so this note wont be long.**

 **Embers To Ashes: I agree. Poor Clint. Astrid really is crazy huh? Thanks for the review!**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you for both the compliment and the review! :)**

 **Okay…**

 **Me: Wow, you two are surprisingly quiet.**

 **Aidan: You were tired, so we decided not to bother you.**

 **Me: That's really nice mate, thank you.**

 **Lee: We are nice. We define Niceness.**

 **Me: The story. Lets get on with the story.**

~.~.~~.~

Astrid drove the needle so hard into Clint, that it snapped. She growled loudly and punched Clint across the face. "STAY AWAY FROM ASTRID!" she yelled.

Newt and Keith grabbed her arms and pulled her back. Clint yelped in pain as he pulled the broken needle out of his shoulder. He looked at Astrid with fear in his eyes. He turned his gaze to the others.

"She's crazy!" he cried. Alby looked at him gravely. Astrid was glaring at him, head bowed down. Her hair fell in her face, making her look menacing. Her eyes held pure hate. She was breathing heavily and baring her teeth. Clint hurriedly got off the bed, clutching his shoulder.

"I'm just gonna go." He said. He hurried out of the room, casting a frightful glance at Astrid.

Zart, Frypan and Chuck were awestruck. This wasn't the Astrid they knew. The girl was usually so cheerful and happy. And Clint was a nice kid; he didn't mean her any harm. So why in the world would she become like this?

"Get out." Alby told them. They looked at their leader with shock. He narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you hear me? Get out!"

The trio quietly shuffled out, not wanting to contradict Alby in such a situation.

Astrid was still glaring at the spot where Clint had been sitting. Her fists were clenched. Newt extricated her arm from Keith's grasp, shooting him a meaningful look. He pulled his sister into a hug. "It's okay Astrid. No one's gonna hurt you. Just calm down." He said. Astrid still continued to glare at the spot.

Thomas was now more confused than ever, and that was saying something. One moment, she was laughing without a care in the world, and the next, she was turning into this monster. There was something seriously wrong with this girl. He respected Alby for letting him stay, thought he thought it was more for the reason that he thought Thomas might have some connection with the new girls than out of friendship.

Astrid pulled away from Newt and wrapped her arms around herself. She shook her head. "They can't hurt Astrid. Astrid won't let them. Bad people. Very bad. Astrid running. Bad people coming? Bad people eat Astrid. Bad people… Bad people… Bad people..." She muttered to herself, while rocking back and forth.

"Let's give the greenie some room, shall we?" Alby said. He looked at Keith. "You stay in here. Make sure she doesn't kill herself. And make sure she doesn't kill you."

Keith gave Alby a curt nod. Gail hugged him once more and stood up. Her mind was spinning from what had just happened. She'd thought Astrid had just been a little high-strung when she'd first met her. But now, she was beginning to realize that the girl was absolutely crazy. Nothing she said made any sense. Her sentences were borderline manic. She was now rocking violently. Keith sat on the edge of her bed, as far from her as he could.

Newt glanced back at his sister. He couldn't understand one bit of what was going on. Astrid has absolutely no reason to hurt Clint. He hadn't even said anything threatening. He knew it should have been him staying behind with her instead of Keith, but he also knew that he was needed in every important discussion that happened in the glade, being second in command.

The others went out and closed the door behind them, leaving Keith alone with Astrid. She was still shaking her head, muttering. He inched closer and reached out. He tucked her hair behind her ears and removed her hands from around her.

"It's okay Astrid. It's alright. They won't hurt you anymore. They aren't here anymore." He soothed, pulling her into a hug. He'd known why she was doing this.

He'd had a memory about it. In fact, it had been his first memory. He and Astrid had been strapped to beds, and this man had walked up to them, with a large syringe. It had been a magnified version of Clint's needle. He jabbed it into Astrid's arm. Keith didn't know what had been in it, but the moment the man had pressed the plunger, Astrid had started screaming. She screamed for so long and so hard, that her mouth had started bleeding. Her bed had been wet with tears. Whatever had been in the syringe had hurt Astrid to the core. When she'd seen Clint, the fear of syringes must have resurfaced.

Astrid had become quieter now. Keith didn't let go of her. Mainly due to the fear of her screaming again. But also because he didn't like seeing her hurt.

Her breathing slowed down, and Keith could hear little puffs of breath come out of her mouth. He pulled her head away and looked at her. She seemed to have fallen asleep. He set her head gently on the pillow and sat down on a chair, smiling. Astrid may have been Newt's real sister, but for now, Keith was the elder brother taking care of her.

~.~.~.~.

The minute they'd come out of the room, Alby rounded on Newt. "What is _UP_ with that sister of yours?" he demanded. Newt was a little shocked to see him behave like this, but he put a hand on his friend's shoulder, shaking his head. "I don't know, mate, I don't bloody know."

"It almost seemed as though she was afraid of something else, and Clint reminded her of that." Thomas put in. Alby turned to him. "What?" the leader asked.

Thomas shrugged. "Think about it." He said. "She doesn't even know Clint. Why would she hurt him? And the way she was talking about bad people, it made no sense. Keith said that people had tortured her to the point of insanity, right? Maybe they had used syringes sometimes."

The other three were staring at Thomas with open mouths. Newt finally found his voice. "Hate to say this, Tommy, but you're probably right. It does make a lot of bloody sense, doesn't it?"

Maybe the others would have added some more, but they were cut off by the infirmary door being thrown open. A boy rushed in and collapsed.

"Minho, what the hell?" Newt exclaimed. He rushed forward and picked the boy up. Thomas peered at the new arrival, Minho. He had well-muscled arms and dark hair. He looked Asian. His face was covered in dirt and grime.

"Wanted… see… greenies…" He managed to say in between rasps of breath. Newt put him down on a nearby chair. He looked at is friend. Minho had spent his entire time in the glade running in the maze. He'd never come back so tired.

"Catch your shuck breath first." Alby ordered. Minho glared at him. "Slim it." He shot back. Thomas was surprised to hear someone speak to their leader like that, but Alby was nonchalant.

Newt handed Minho a glass of water, which he drank in a single breath. He sighed and placed the glass on the ground.

"I heard that some new greenie had come, so I ran all the shuck way back from the maze. Heard it was a girl." Minho declared. His gaze flitted up to Gail, as though he'd just now noticed her, which, considering how she was standing behind Newt and Alby, he had. His eyes widened.

"Holy mother of Frypan. You really are a girl!" he said. Gail smiled. "Last I checked." She replied.

She came out from behind Newt and Alby, and held out a hand, which Minho shook. "Gail." She said. Minho winked. "The name's Minho, greenie. And don't let these shanks fool you. I'm the real boss of this place." He said, giving Alby a look that showed he was joking.

Minho looked at Thomas, and his eyes narrowed. "And who are you?" he asked. Thomas followed Gail's example and held out his hand. Minho shook it a little cautiously.

"Thomas. I arrived here three days ago." Thomas introduced himself. Minho nodded. "Pretty crazy huh? With all these Greenies. I don't even know which one of them to call greenie anymore." He grinned.

Thomas was starting to like this guy. He had a sarcastic and laid-back attitude, which almost served as a relief from their situation. Minho looked at Newt, and pointed at Gail. "She the one that's your sis?" he asked. Newt shook his head.

"My sister's inside. And in case you've forgotten, Minho, her name's Astrid, not Gail." He replied. Minho nodded, but didn't seem to care much.

"Alright, enough of this mushy mushy introduction. Minho, you've seen the greenie, purpose fulfilled. It's shuck two o clock in the morning. We better get some sleep while we still can." Alby said, cutting their somewhat cheerful conversation short. He looked at Newt. "Newt, show Gail to her hammock. Give her some place near her brother, but not too close. We don't want another episode from your beloved sister." He said, not bothering to apologize for his rudeness. Newt had grown used to it.

"Minho, get your butt to sleep. Thomas, you do the same. We'll talk about the greenie tomorrow." He continued, and when everyone turned to give him a bewildered look, especially Gail, he added quickly "Astrid, I mean."

Alby opened the door and walked out, Minho dragging himself after him. Thomas nodded at Newt and Gail before heading out as well. Gail turned to Newt.

"Let's go, shall we?" She said. Every word she said to him tasted like poison. She had been sent here to kill his sister, and she was pretending to be his friend. She hated herself for it, but there was no other way, she was absolutely convinced of that.

Newt gave her an apologetic glance. "Yeah, I just needa…" He motioned towards the door to Astrid's room. Gail understood. "Sure." She said.

Newt opened the door slowly and peeked inside. Keith had fallen asleep on a chair beside Astrid's bed. Astrid herself was snoring softly. She looked so peaceful when she was asleep. She slept with a tiny smile on her face, as though she were dreaming of all things nice. Newt smiled to himself and closed the door.

"Let's go." He led Gail out of the infirmary, walking her to her hammock. He didn't know what the next day would hold for him, no one did. But he hoped against hope that even in these days of surviving in a place surrounded by a maze with monstrous creatures, Astrid would be safe.

~.~.~.~.

WICKED was beyond words. The way each variable had been calculated, it was incredible. They'd only shown Keith the specific memories, to which they needed his responses. Astrid's reaction to Clint's needle was perfect. And Gail was carrying out her role beautifully.

Ava Paige leaned against her chair. She drew in a breath. What they were doing to these kids may have been wrong, but their purpose was correct.

She looked at the image of Keith and Astrid, both children sleeping peacefully. She remembered the first time she had gone to visit them in the facility, to check on how the experiments were going.

Dr. Kendall Gray had been researching all his life. Finally, as he had claimed, he had found the answer to their problems. It was a way to give superhuman abilities to normal human beings. It had been Astrid and Keith's bad luck that they had gotten selected for the test subjects.

The first time Paige had visited them, it hadn't been pretty. She closed her eyes and let the memory flow through her.

 _She was standing in front of a glass window. On one side, Jansen and herself were sitting on wooden chairs, looking through the glass. They were waiting for the two kids they had come to check on. Their killzone department had been doing well. It was time to see what Dr. Gray had been doing. The facility wasn't particularly hygienic, and Paige could tell that Jansen was disgusted._

 _A door opened in the glass room, and Dr. Gray walked in. He was in his trademark white lab coat, his thinning hair looking as revolting as ever. Every time Paige saw him, she wanted to puke, but managed to maintain a formal expression._

" _Welcome to my lab!" he yelled cheerfully, a bit too loud. He spread his hands. "Without much further ado, I present you with my prized possessions. My little guinea pigs. My masterpieces." He motioned to his side, somewhere where Paige couldn't see. "The Freaks!" he declared._

 _For a moment, Paige wondered why he would name Keith and Astrid 'freaks', but the next moment, the two kids entered the room, and all other thoughts abandoned Paige's mind._

 _She didn't know what she had been expecting, but it certainly hadn't been this._

 _Keith and Astrid were barely recognizable as human beings. Chains bound their hands and feet together, the red marks visible on their wrists. They were shoved in by two giants of men, who followed them in and handed Gray something that looked suspiciously like a whip. They were bleeding in multiple places, but weren't crying, almost as though they had gotten used to pain. Their heads lolled forward, and they stared up at Paige and Jansen. White hospital gowns hung off their bodies the way a shirt would hang off a scarecrow. Their wrists were frighteningly thin. Their eyes were so sunken, it was almost as if they were trying to go back inside their heads. Dark circles covered the skin around them. Keith's hair had grown long and shabby. Astrid's, usually a light blond, was sweaty and dirty, the color having become something of a disgusting brown._

 _They looked like corpses who had learned to walk._

 _Paige wanted to protest against this inhumane treating of these two, when Jansen put out a hand to stop her. Gray sneered. He flicked the object in his hand, and it turned out to be a whip after all._

" _Show the visitors your talents, freaks." He ordered. The kids didn't move. The other two men shoved them from behind, but they still refused to do anything._

" _Fine. I'll teach you to never rebel against me." Gray said. He raised the whip and lashed it against Astrid's back. She yelled and fell to the floor. He hit her again. Keith cried out her name, and got a whip on his face in return. The most disturbing part was that Gray seemed to actually enjoy what he was doing._

" _Do a bear Astrid, do a bear!" he cackled like a little child. He hit Astrid with every word. Tears streaming down her face, Astrid morphed into a bear. He laughed and hit her again. "Do a bird!" Astrid turned into something that looked like a parrot. "A Dog!" Gray ordered. Astrid obeyed. He kicked her in the side, which must have hurt in her small form of a dog._

 _Under different circumstances, Paige would have been awed. But seeing the kids being whipped with every word that crossed Gray's mouth was simply too much._

" _Your turn!" he told Keith as Astrid morphed back to human form. He slammed blow after blow on Keith's back, and Keith finally gave in, turning invisible. A second later, he reappeared near the far corner of the room._

 _Gray walked up to him, and grinned. Keith looked at him with hopeful eyes, as if to ask whether he had done enough not to get whipped. He got rewarded by being clubbed in the face with the handle of the whip._

 _Jansen flinched and Paige turned away. The last thing she would remember of that gruesome night was Astrid and Keith's screams that filled the atmosphere._

Paige didn't like remembering that night. Keith and Astrid had been kept under conditions that would make the most heartless of people sympathize. She looked once again at the screen showing the kids, who had gone through the torture which she wouldn't have even in her worst nightmares.

She hoped they could survive the next variable that was about to be thrown at them.

~.~.~.~.~

 **A/N: So YEAH! This story will have a lot of memories, because Keith and Astrid's backgrounds matter, don't they? Also, I know that in the book, Minho meets Thomas later, but this is fanfiction, right? So in my story, he meets him earlier.**

 **Please review and tell me what you thought! I'm sorry if it was bad, but the action will start very soon!**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey again! Here's the next chapter, and though it starts off boring, I can promise you, it doesn't end that way. It might not be good, but I tried my best. :)**

 **On another note, OMG I CROSSED A THOUSAND VIEWS, LIKE I CAN'T EVEN BELIEVE IT THANK YOU ALL SO VERY VERY VERY VERY MUCH!**

 **Embers To Ashes: Lee is awesome, I agree. And I feel bad for Keith too. :) Also, thank you so much for reviewing! I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thanks for reviewing! Really, it made me very happy. And I agree, the memory was a little disturbing. I felt kinda weird while writing it. I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Right then…**

 **Lee: HECK YEAH! Back with a BANG!**

 **Me: Not again…**

 **Aidan: You can't get rid of us, you know. We'll always be in your head. *evil laugh***

 **Me: Yes, yes, alright. Fine.**

 **Lee: Really, you should stop torturing your characters so much. Poor Keith and Astrid.**

 **Aidan: AGREED.**

 **Me: …**

 **Me: YOU TWO ARE CHARACTERS IN MY MIND AND YOU DO NOT TELL ME WHAT TO DO IN MY STORY!**

 **Aidan: Woah, sheesh, calm down. And do use punctuation.**

 **Me: OUT!**

 **Aidan: *sad face***

 **Me: OUT!**

 **Aidan: *slunks away with Lee***

 **Me: Hah. Some peace at last. Read on please! :)**

~.~.~.~.~.

Gail awoke the next day to someone shaking her shoulder. Having only one good eye, it took her a moment to focus on their face. She made out a mop of blond hair, and brown eyes looking down at her. She groaned. 'What is it Newt?" she said, pushing herself onto one elbow.

Newt sat back, satisfied at having woken her at last. Gail straightened her eye-patch. It had become crooked through the night. Sometimes she really hated the thing. It restricted her vision to only one eye, and she always had to turn her head a little extra, to get a clear view of what was going on. But she knew it was needed. The long scar that ran down her face probably hadn't spared her eye.

Gail pushed her red hair into a ponytail and sat up in her hammock. Newt grinned at her. "You start the trials today Greenie!" he said excitedly. Gail rolled her eyes, though Newt only saw one.

"Stop calling me Greenie. It's Gail. And you should learn to call me that." She said. She got off the hammock and glared at Newt. He held up his hands in surrender. "That's what we call every new person to come. Though I suppose since you came from the maze, you aren't technically a Greenie." he replied.

Gail could feel a smile pulling at the edge of her lips. She hid it. She wasn't going to be friends with the person whose sister she was supposed to kill. Nope. Not a chance.

"Come on then. It's the trials day…" Newt turned around and started to walk away, but he stopped mid-stride and turned to face Gail. " _Greenie_." he added before sprinting off.

Gail shot out after him. For one thing, he knew where to head for the trails, whatever that meant. For another, she wanted to get him for the greenie comment. He ran with a limp, laughing quite hard. Gail chased him around for a while, before he finally tripped on a rock. She slid down to a stop beside him on the ground, and pinned her wrist on his throat.

"What's my name?" She hissed. She was trying her best not to smile. She couldn't deny having enjoyed herself while chasing him, but she wasn't about to let that show. He smirked as best as he could with her hand at his throat.

"What, you really forgot your own name? Heck Greenie, all of us have lost our memories, but we still bloody remember our names."

Gail let out a growl of frustration and dug her hand deeper into Newt's throat. He simply laughed and shook his head. "Fine, fine. Gail. There, ya happy?" He said. Gail snickered and pulled away. "Better. And remember how to say it Newt, 'cause that's what you'll be calling me from now on." She said. She held out a hand, and he took it. She hoisted him up.

"Come on _Gail_. I'll take you to Alby. Then you can start the trials." Newt said. He started walking towards the homestead, where Alby had ordered him to bring Gail, when he stopped, noticing the fact that she wasn't following him. He glanced back to see her looking down, shuffling her feet nervously. He walked back to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, Gail, everything okay?" he asked. She looked up at him and nodded. "Yeah. Everything's fine. Sorry, just got caught up daydreaming. Won't happen again. Let's go then!" She said. She was clearly being bothered by something, and wouldn't open up to Newt. He decided not to push her. She had gone through more than any of them. First, she probably had woken up in the maze. She managed to survive a Griever attack, but had gotten stung. Newt knew for a fact that the changing was a nasty piece of business, Gail had had to go through it just after losing her memories. He was honestly surprised that she was standing up on two feet and not crying her eyes out in the forest somewhere.

"Yeah, this way." He said, before leading her to the homestead. They walked in to find Alby sitting on a chair, head in his hands. "Hey Alby, I brought the Gree-" Newt stopped, casting a sideways look at Gail. "Gail. I brought Gail here."

Alby looked at the two of them. "Yeah, good. She starts with Winston. Give her the tour after her trials with Winston. I dont think she'll be able to handle it when he really gets into his job. He's usually a little better early in the morning. After that,give her the tour and follow the whole routine." He said. He went back to putting his head in his hands, and Newt stared at him.

"Really? You told me to come here to tell me that? Seriously Alby, what would I do without your bloody advice, eh?" said Newt. When Alby didn't respond, he turned on his heels and walked out of the homestead, Gail right behind him.

The Gladers had given up on the thought of putting Astrid through trials. They'd tried it once in the morning, before Gail had woken up, letting her try out with the track-Hoes, but that hadn't gone so promisingly. Every time Zart showed her another part of the field, she would be distracted by some or the other flower, and would go running off squealing "Pretty!"

Alby had told the Greenie Thomas to work with the Track-Hoes for that day, which meant the only one who needed to try out was Gail. Newt led her to the Bloodhouse, and he could see her face becoming a little queasy. The smell of meat filled their noses, and Newt almost regretted coming here. They stopped outside the door and Gail flashed him a smile, which he could tell was totally fake. Something about this girl was off. Sometimes she would be all smiles, and sometimes she would be downright cold. But whatever mood she was in, Newt always got the hiding-something vibe from her. It wasn't possible that she knew more than she was letting on.

Was it?

Gail shook his out of his thoughts by opening the door to the bloodhouse. She stepped inside ad resisted the urge of puking. The place smelled disgusting. A boy greeted her with a large butcher's knife in his hands. She instinctively took a step back, which made Newt laugh.

"Put down the bloody knife Winston. You're scaring the poor little soul." He said sarcastically. Gail glared at him. "Shut it Newt."

She turned her attention back to the ther boy, whose name she assumed was Winston. "Gail." She said, holding out her hand, Winston shook it. "Winston. And I know you. Everyone knows you. The Greenie who came from the maze after surviving the attacks of a Griever. News like that spreads quickly." He said. It sounded much more heroic the way he said it. All Gail had really done when she'd woken up was run.

Winston grinned. He handed her a knife, and led her to the table. He demonstrated his work by ruthlessly dicing a chicken's skinned carcass to tiny squares. He had a crazy smile on his face while doing so, and seemed to almost enjoy his job. Maybe a little too much.

"You turn." He told Gail, showing her another carcass, identical to the one he'd cut up. Gail gripped the knife and stepped up to the chopping board. She carefully sliced through the skin, and cut a tiny part of the chicken away from its body. She felt repulsed at doing just that tiny bit. The blood was already covering her knife. She dug it into another part, and blood gushed out. She stepped back, feeling a wave of nausea wash over her.

Newt studied her. She was shaking slightly, and her grip on the knife was faltering. He decided to step in, knowing that this wasn't going to work.

"Hey, Gail, I don't think this is the job cut out for ya." He said as he extricated the knife from her hand. He placed it on the table and looked at her, to see her giving him a thankful look. He had been right. She didn't like the job of a Slicer at all. Well, only a handful of Greenies did.

Winston didn't mind. He bid Gail and Newt cheerful farewells and closed the door after them. Gail turned to Newt. "Right, so, do I like, not have to do anything else after this?" Gail asked, already half knowing the answer. Newt smirked. "Oh this is just the beginning Greenie. You have at least five other jobs to try out."

Gail sighed loudly. Sounded like this was going to be a rather long day…

~.~.~.~.

Thomas couldn't believe he was stuck with these Track-Hoes for an entire day. Zart seemed really nice and everything, but the job was immensely boring. Keith worked a few meters to his left, and would once in a while glance up to look at him. Astrid sat cross-legged beside Keith, plucking the flowers out of the ground and sticking them in her hair. Keith was handed the responsibility of handling the tomatoes, so there was an abundance of flowers growing in his field.

"Fertilizer." Zart said, shaking his head. "We need more fertilizer." He looked at Thomas. "Hey Greenie. Do me a solid and get some fertilizer from the woods, will ya?" he asked. Thomas rolled his eyes, but grabbed a basket just the same.

"I'm not the Greenie anymore Zart. And yes, I'll get your fertilizer." Thomas said, before lumbering off into the woods. He could hear Zart laughing behind him. Even though everything at the moment was cheerful and happy, Thomas could feel something in his chest. Something that was warning him. Something that he couldn't explain.

Keith watched as Thomas walked into the woods. The woods were pretty freaking big, and the area of the fertilizer was smack dab in the middle. Thomas would take at least ten minutes(if not more) to reach there. He couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He kept his eyes on Thomas until the woods obscured him from his view. Keith shook his head, blaming his paranoia for his weird thoughts. He was just about to dismiss his feeling, when his eyes landed on someone else, which made his blood freeze in his veins.

It was Ben.

The former Runner was heading into the woods from another part. He had a crazed look on his face. His mouth was bleeding, and his muscles rippled under his vest. His shirt was almost completely torn off. He didn't look like a human anymore. He looked like an animal. An animal which was about to go in for the kill.

Keith's mind went on overdrive. He knew for a fact that Ben was going into the forest to attack Thomas, but he couldn't think of one way to save him without revealing his ability. Especially not with Zart watching.

Thankfully, luck seemed to be on his side, for at that moment, Zart got up and dusted the dirt off his pants. "Listen up Keith. I'm taking these carrots to Frypan. You keep going with those tomatoes." He said. He looked at Astrid briefly before walking off.

The coast was now clear. Keith looked around to make sure no one was watching him, and was about to go sprinting into the forest after Thomas, when he felt an arm grab his, pulling him back. He turned to face the person, and found himself staring into the determined eyes of Astrid.

"Astrid go with Keith." She said. Keith's jaw dropped. "Astrid, you can't! I'm going to stop Ben from hurting Thomas." Keith protested.

Astrid didn't let go of his arm. "Astrid help Keith." With that, she started running towards the forest. Keith couldn't believe what had just happened. Astrid had sounded almost… normal.

Not wanting to waste any more time, he followed Astrid. He caught up to her in no time, and cast her a reassuring look. She nodded at him.

A plan had started forming in Keith's mind, and he decided to follow it. There was no way to help Thomas in a fight against Ben without exposing their secret, but if Keith and Astrid could prevent the fight altogether, their abilities might stay hidden.

Of course, Ben would know. They would fight him using their powers. But Ben had been stung. Anything coming out from his mouth would have been cast aside as nonsensical stung-talk.

"This way." He hissed. He took Astrid's arm and veered his footsteps in the direction from which he thought he'd seen Ben come in. They were in the woods now, and nothing could be seen from outside.

"Astrid change?"Astrid asked. She was asking whether or not she should change into some animal. Keith shook his head. "Not now. When I tell you."

They were still running. Suddenly, Keith spotted something ahead, and stopped in his tracks. He yanked Astrid back by her shirt. "Up ahead." He whispered, crouching low.

Ben was hacking his way through the vines and trees. He was still a good seventy meters away from Thomas, if Keith's calculations had been correct. That meant they needed to fight him now. Any further, and they ran the risk of being spotted by Thomas.

He was about to charge at Ben, when he hesitated. Was he doing the right thing? Was saving Thomas worth exposing his abilities to Ben? He was fairly sure no one would believe Ben, but still.

He looked at Astrid, and saw her waiting for him to give the command. He abandoned his hesitation. Thomas was a friend, and he was going to help him. He nodded curtly at Astrid.

He turned invisible and teleported himself to just in front of Ben. The taller boy slammed into him, and took a few steps back. His eyes searched for the barrier, but he obviously didn't see anything. Keith almost smiled.

He ran forward, burying his fists into Ben's stomach. Ben shot out his hand in his direction, but Keith teleported himself to somewhere just out of Ben's reach. Ben punched the air blindly, hoping to connect with Keith, but Keith was faster. He scooted behind Ben and shoved him onto the ground.

"What's going on? Who is this? Why can't I see you?" Ben yelled. He tried to get up, but Keith climbed on top of him and pinned him to the ground with his knee on his back.

From who-knows-where, Ben seemed to find an extra burst of strength. He overpowered Keith strengthwise. He threw Keith off of himself, and Keith landed on the ground, his head smacking against the forest floor. Due to the impact, momentarily his invisibility flickered. Keith knew it wasn't enough to Tell Ben who he was, but it was enough to give away his location. Ben came at him, snarling like a wild animal.

His fist connected with Keith's temple, and Keith could feel his vision go black. Ben yanked his up by the first part of him that he felt (which happened to be Keith's hair). Ben now had a fairly good idea of Keith's head, and he used that knowledge to find his neck. His large hands closed around Keith's throat, and he began to squeeze.

Ben still didn't know who this was. He seemed to be squeezing thin air, but he could feel the person's blood pumping through their veins in his hands. He knew the person didn't have much of a chance against him. Only one or two other people in the Glade were stronger than himself, and he didn't recall Minho or Gally having the ability to turn invisible.

Keith was now seeing stars. He felt as though Ben were literally squeezing the life out of him. He could feel his eyes bulging out. He tried to call Astrid for help, but Ben was squeezing his neck so hard, it cut off his speech. Keith's vision had started going red. He was about to give in, when Ben was tackled off of him.

He sat up and retched, holding his throat. He managed to maintain his invisibility, and got a look at his savior.

A wolf stood three feet in front of him, blocking Ben's way toward Keith protectively. Keith knew in an instant that this was Astrid, for there were no wild animals in the forest. Astrid snarled, and so did Ben. He charged at her.

Keith was in no position to help. He watched helplessly as the two fought, hand against claw. Astrid smacked her claw into Ben's face, but he grabbed it and threw her to the side. He obviously didn't know it was her. He started walking back towards where he thought Keith still was, and jumped at him. Keith disappeared from there in the nick of time, materializing a few feet to the right.

Astrid came at Ben again, this time in the form of a cheetah. She dug her canines into his leg, and he howled in pain, falling to the floor. "What is this!? Who are you!? SHOW YOURSELF!" Ben yelled. Blood flew from his mouth with every word. He grabbed Astrid's claw and swung her around. Keith had to admit, Ben was pretty strong. It took effort, but he sat on top of Astrid, pinning her to the ground with his weight. Astrid had unfortunately gone for speed, not strength, when she had chosen a small cheetah.

Keith threw himself at Ben, shoving him off Astrid using his momentum. The two tumbled to the floor, and Keith punched Ben's face. Ben kicked Keith, and his foot connected with Keith's stomach. Astrid chose that moment to turn into a snake and slither towards Ben.

He screamed at staggered back. Astrid slithered up his leg, and wrapped herself around his torso, her tongue flicking in and out of her mouth.

Ben must've sensed defeat, because he decided to give it his last shot. He collapsed on the ground, flattening Astrid. She couldn't scream, but she unwrapped herself from around Ben. He picked her up and smashed her head against a tree trunk. Keith teleported himself there, trying to stop Ben, but he was a fraction of a second too late.

Astrid's head hit the trunk with a sickening _thock_. Ben let her go and took a few steps back. Astrid, no longer being able to keep up her form of a snake, turned back into a human. She fell to the floor, clutching her head, which was bleeding profusely. Keith took her head in his arms and ripped off a sleeve of his shirt. He pressed in down on her head wound, trying to stop the blood.

He looked up at Ben, who was breathing heavily and snarling at them. To him it looked as though Astrid was keeping her head off the ground at an impossible angle. But he had been driven mad by the Changing, and this probably didn't seem so strange to him.

But Keith now faced a choice. Either he could abandon Astrid and fight Ben, or he could stay with Astrid and let Ben go. He looked down at the girl in his arms. If he let go of Astrid's head, she would surely bleed to death. She needed someone to take her back to the glade.

"So you really are a monster Greenie." Ben sneered at Astrid.

Keith glared at him, knowing that he couldn't see the glare. Ben stepped forward, but stopped, apparently having remembered his previous target. Keith knew their fight had lasted only for about ten minutes, and that it would take much longer for Thomas to get the necessary amount of fertilizer and head back to the Glade. Which meant he was still in the forest.

But Keith was not going to abandon Astrid. He watched helplessly once again, as Ben ran off towards the centre of the forest, towards where Thomas was. Keith wiped the blood off of Astrid's face, feeling a warm tear run down his cheek.

He and Astrid had tried their best. But in the end, they had failed.

And because of their failure, they had left Thomas' life in danger.

~.~.~.~

 **A/N: I do apologize if the action wasn't up to the mark! Its hard to write action with superpowers. I know some of you might be thinking "Why was Astrid so normal?" And I promise you that it will be explained later!**

 **Do review! It makes me very happy!**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Hello again! Here's the next chapter, and it might not be so good. I'm extremely sorry for the late update, but I've started another story, and was slightly busy with that.**

 **Embers To Ashes: Thank you so much! Your theory wasn't bad at all! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Haha, I really didn't think people would like my cliffies. Hope you like this update! :)**

 **Okay.**

 **Me: Ha. See? No pestering today.**

 **Aidan: We're feeling merciful.**

 **Lee: Yeah, just wait for next time. *evil laugh***

 **Me: …**

 **Me: You should learn from your sister you know. Kyra is so nice and caring, she doesn't bother me at all.**

 **Aidan: Hmm…**

 **Aidan: I guess…**

 **Aidan: BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE WON'T BOTHER YOU!**

 **Me: Why do I bother?**

~.~.~.~.

"And that over there is the forest." Newt said, motioning with his hands towards the huge tract of dense trees. Gail couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Really? How would I have ever known?" she retorted. Newt looked at her skeptically. "One more smart comment from you Greenie, and I swear I'll let Gally do your tour. And trust me, _no one_ wants that." Newt said.

Gail promptly shut up. She didn't know who Gally was, but the way Newt said it, a newbie would be safer running along the edge of a blade than have a tour with Gally. Newt grinned, satisfied.

He'd just finished showing Gail around the glade. Gail took a while to breathe it all in. The homestead may not have been the most awe-inspiring building built, but it had a definite homely feeling about it. The forests, on the other hand, looked large and intimidating. The trees loomed over the ground. But not even the forest could give her the shivers like the entrance to the maze could.

Gail could still not believe that there stood a gigantic maze outside the walls of the Glade. Each of the four walls had a gap in between them, running the full length of the wall. Newt had told her that every morning the walls would open, and every night they would close. Gail had laughed it off, telling him that what he said had defied every known law of physics, but the expression Newt had proceeded to give her was about as far from jokey as possible.

She had to walk slightly faster to keep up with Newt's pace. Even though the blond boy looked like he'd forgotten how to eat five weeks ago, and walked with a limp, he was still pretty darned fast. "Wait up blondie!" Gail huffed as she caught up with him. Newt raised an eyebrow.

"The name's Newt, Greenie. You'd do better to call me that." He said, almost echoing the words Gail had previously spoken to him just this very morning. Gail glared at him. He shrugged.

"Tell you what, Gail. You really are feisty for a Greenie. Usually all of you guys are-" He didn't complete his sentence. A scream cut through the calm morning like a knife.

Newt immediately knew that voice. "BEN!" he yelled, the panic evident in his voice. He took off towards the forest.

"Newt!" Gail called out after him. She didn't see any choice but to run after him. He didn't slow down the slightest, as they entered the forest. He tore through the vines, screaming Ben's name. Another scream rang out, and Newt became even more panicked.

"TOMMY!" he yelled. "Tommy, Ben, where are you!?" His foot caught on a root, and he tripped, falling face-first. Gail rushed over to him and yanked him up, not bothering to be soft. "I think the screams came from there!" she said, pointing off to her right.

They didn't waste a single moment. They ran as fast as they could with the undergrowth slowing them down, and finally reached a clearing.

Just on time to see Alby shoot an arrow through Ben's face.

Gail heard a shriek escape her. "What the hell Alby!" Newt cried out. He ran forward and pulled the arrow out of Ben's face. Ben was lying on top of Thomas, who looked like he might be going into shock.

"What in the name of holy shuck happened here!?" Newt demanded. Alby looked grim as he leaned against a tree, putting down his weapon.

"The shuck-face attacked Thomas. He was going to kill him. I did what I had to do." he grumbled. Newt looked at Thomas in awe, as the latter shuffled back against a log, trying to put as much distance as possible between him and Ben, who was currently unconscious by Newt's side. Gail could see that the arrow hadn't gone too deep, but that didn't change Ben's state by much.

His veins were popping out, a sickly green. Gail could see every wound on his bloodied chest. But Ben at the moment wasn't their biggest worry. No, someone else lumbered into the clearing, shoving Ben clear out of Gail's thoughts.

Keith and Astrid looked more bloodied than Gail ever wanted to see.

Newt's jaw dropped. He was so surprised, his voice abandoned him altogether. "Keith!" Gail cried out, rushing towards her brother. Keith dropped Astrid onto the forest floor, and promptly collapsed. Newt crawled over to Astrid. He swept her head into his hands, and brushed her bangs out of her face. The blond color had taken on a red hue.

"What the hell happened?" He finally managed to choke out. Thomas and Alby were simply staring at the new arrivals, looking lightening-struck. Keith groaned and Gail put a hand on his shoulders.

"Tried to… stop Ben." Keith croaked out. His voice sounded hoarse, as though he was down with a cold. But Newt knew better. He recognized the finger impressions on Keith's neck. The younger boy's clothes were torn, and his lips bled. He was cut up in several places. As for Astrid, she didn't seem to be hurt anywhere except for on her head, where a large wound was oozing blood. A cloth was wrapped around her forehead, and Newt assumed Keith had used his sleeve to try and stop the blood. He felt a rush of gratitude towards the kid.

"We saw Ben come into the maze after Thomas, and I thought… I thought we could help. Newt, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have let Astrid come. I thought we could stop him-"

"It's alright, Keith. Calm the shuck down. We need to get Astrid to the med-jacks now." Newt interjected. He picked up the unconscious girl by her arms. Gail helped Keith up, and Alby grabbed Ben's wrists. He started dragging the Ben towards the homestead.

"Alby…?" Gail started. She knew she shouldn't have spoken, but she simply couldn't control her curiosity.

"He aint dead." Alby said simply. He didn't wait for anyone to respond, just continued dragging Ben through the forest.

Newt put one arm under Astrid's legs, picking her off the ground. Thomas shakily got to his feet after them. The events of the past fifteen minutes had been too much.

Slowly, the trio started trudging toward the glade, Keith and Astrid being supported and carried.

~.~.~.~.

"How're you feeling now?" Gail stroked Keith's hair. The blood had been cleaned off, and he looked fairly normal now. The cuts were bandaged, and one could barely see Keith's skin under all the bandages.

Astrid had only one bandage, which wrapped the whole way around her forehead. The bleeding had stopped, and she was sitting up on her bed, which she currently was sharing with Keith. Astrid had refused to let go of Keith, screaming his name when they tried to take him to another bed. They'd finally given in and let the two share a bed.

Newt sat near the foot of the bed, his head in his hands. Alby leaned against the door, looking even more grim than he had been previously. Thomas simply seemed shaken up by the whole incident.

"Newtie sad?" Astrid asked. She leaned forward and pulled her brother into a hug. Newt smiled sadly. "No Astrid. Newtie not sad. I'm just worried." He replied, pulling away.

"What for?" Gail asked, immediately realizing that must have been the stupidest question she'd ever asked out loud. Ben, who seemed to be Newt's friend, had been shot with an arrow. His sister was in the infirmary for the second time since Gail had arrived. Of course he would be worried.

"Too much complicated klunk is going on." He told her. He turned back to face Alby. "It's gonna happen isn't it? You're gonna bloody do it." He said, his voice tinged with bitterness. Strangely though, Gail didn't feel as though the bitterness was directed towards Alby.

The leader shrugged. "I can't do anything about it Newt. It's for the best. We've done it for the other ones, and we'll do it for him too. It's simply too dangerous now."

Thomas stared at both of them. "What're you guys talking about?" he asked. Newt looked at him solemnly.

"Ben's gonna be banished."

Gail didn't know what the word 'banished' meant, but she was fairly sure it didn't refer to Ben being given flowers and chocolates. Newt and Alby looked so sad and reluctant to 'banish' Ben, that Gail couldn't help but ask what it meant. "What do you mean, banished?"

Newt sighed. "When someone gets stung by a Griever, like Ben had, they go through what we call the Changing. It basically puts the person through a lot of pain. The person's memories are returned to them, only to be snatched away again. Once the person comes out of the Changing, they aint ever the same bloody way again." He pushed Astrid's hand gently away from his hair, for she had begun to twiddle with a strand of it.

"Ben was a lot worse than the others. But he's dangerous now. We can't keep him in the Glade." Alby continued for his friend. With a start, Gail realized what that meant.

"You're going to throw him into the maze for the whole night!?"

For some reason, the idea totally disgusted her. She herself was here to kill the girl sitting not more than three feet away from her, yet she found the idea of banishing Ben into the maze more despicable than anything she recalled hearing.

"We can't help it Gail." Alby added. He stepped away from the doorframe, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"It's what needs to be done."

~.~.~.~.

The walls were about to close.

All the Gladers had gathered near the entrance of the West door. The keepers each stood with a long pole in their hands. The end of each pole ended in a flat end, perpendicularly placed to the length of the pole itself. There was not one person who didn't look hesitant, as they waited for Ben to be brought to them.

Newt walked up to the rest of the keepers with Gail, Keith, Astrid, Thomas and Chuck. Once he reached them, he readied his own pole and gripped the handle tight. Minho cast him a solemn look, and turned back to his own pole, suddenly having found an interest in the wood. Newt felt someone hold his hand, and turned around to see Gail looking at him with a serious expression.

"Astrid shouldn't see this, Newt." She said. The moment she said it, Newt realized how stupid he'd been, letting Astrid accompany him. Not only was the Banishing a disturbing sight to see, it may also bring on another episode of Astrid's. He couldn't take the risk.

"You're right. Keith, take Astrid inside." He ordered Keith. The boy looked down and said "I want to see."

Keith didn't know why he wanted to see the Banishing. He just wanted to see it. The mere thought of seeing Ben being thrown into the woods sickened him, but he wanted to be here.

Newt raised an eyebrow, but Keith's tone must've made it clear that he wasn't going to listen to anything the second-in-command had to say. Newt turned his gaze to Chuck. "Fine. Chuck, you take Astrid inside."

He looked at his sister. "Astrid, I need you to go inside with Chuck. I'll meet you in a while, okay?" he said softly. Astrid's eyes lit up. "Chucky play with Astrid!?" she asked cheerfully. Newt tried to smile, but his effort was in vain.

He nodded. "Chucky play with Astrid." He confirmed. Astrid clapped her hands happily together, and grabbed Chuck's hand, pulling him toward the homestead. Chuck cast the rest of them a bewildered look before disappearing into the homestead. Newt turned around and joined the other keepers, his pole ready. Thomas, Gail and Keith stood behind, watching.

"Let me GO!" everyone whipped their head around at Ben's voice. A boy was dragging him, or actually pushing him, towards the ring of Keepers. Ben's hands were tied behind his head, and his vest was covered in blood. He was begging the other boy to let him go, but the latter didn't pay heed. Strangely, it was the boy bringing Ben to the Keepers who caught Gail's attention.

"Dusk?" she asked. He looked reluctant as he walked up to the ring of Keepers. He took the hem of Ben's shirt and chopped off a little bit of the material with a small knife. He then shoved Ben into the middle of the Keeper Ring.

A gust of wind blew from inside the maze, making everyone shut their eyes. Ben got to his feet, looking panicked. He tried to make his way back into the Glade, just as the walls started closing. Gail didn't even bother marveling at how the huge structures moved. Her attention was on Ben, who looked something above an animal.

"POLES!" Alby commanded. The Keepers brought their poles in one line, sealing off the Glade with a barrier. "Push him in!" the leader ordered.

The Keepers in the front started moving forward with their poles, as Ben started sobbing. He tried to push back into the Glade, but was being blocked by the flat end of the Keepers' poles. Keith clenched his fists. This was too disturbing. He was regretting not having gone with Astrid.

"Stop, please don't do this please don't do this!" Ben pleaded. "I can get better! I won't do anything please just give me a chance!"

The other boys had tears in their eyes. Gail could see a tear make its way down Zart's cheek. She could feel her own eyesight being clouded by water. She caught Dusk's eye. He was standing a few feet away from them. He looked broken. Like he simply couldn't take this anymore.

"Please give me another chance please!" Ben was pushing the poles with all his strength now. The Keepers had almost reached the door, Ben now being in between the gap, which was lessening by the second. He started yelling and clawing at the Keepers, desperate to get back into the maze. Gail turned away, refusing to look anymore.

"You call me a monster?" Ben screamed, looking at Newt. "Your sister is NO BETTER THAN ME!" He was literally an animal now. Blood flew from his mouth with every word.

The Keepers, if momentarily shaken, quickly came out of it. They gave a final mighty heave, pushing Ben into the maze. The doors were now almost fully closed.

The last they saw of Ben was his terror-striken face. He let loose a guttural yell, as the doors shut for the night, blocking him out.

Keith knew he could use his power. He could transport himself into the maze and bring Ben back. But there must've been a reason the gladers had banished him. If he brought Ben back, all the Gladers would do was banish the boy again. And that time, Keith would be accompanying him.

The utter helplessness of his situation crashed down on Keith. He wanted to help Ben, but simply couldn't, for he knew it would be of no use. Ben was gone, and for some reason, Keith found him blaming himself. But there was nothing he could do for Ben. The boy was gone.

Keith buried his face in his hands, his feelings in a turmoil inside of him. Grief clawed at his stomach and guilt racked his heart. He pressed his wrist to his cheeks, letting his tears fall.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Right then! This chapter may not have been good, and I apologize if it wasn't. Please review! It motivates me so much! :)**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Hello Again! I wont make this author's note too long, but I'm sorry if this chapter isn't good. Not much action in this one, but it has a very important memory.**

 **Guest: Thank you so much! I hope you enjoy the rest of my story too! ;)**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Thank you for reviewing! I'm glad I was able to bring out Keith's caring side. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **Okay then.**

 **Lee: Seriously mate, you needa stop with the whole torture-your-characters thing**

 **Aidan: I couldn't agree more.**

 **Me: Hmph. I thought I told you guys to Stay out?**

 **Aidan: We won't. Plain and simple.**

 **Lee: These poor things have the misfortune of being characters in your story. I really do feel bad for them.**

 **Me: *groans***

 **Aidan: We won't keep the readers waiting. :)**

 **Me: THANK YOU.**

~.~.~.~.

Ben's screams rang in Gail's ears. The face of every single person took on a guilty and grim tinge. She stole a glance towards her brother. Keith was crying. He wasn't sobbing, but tears ran down his cheeks. His eyes were shut tight, his fists clenched so hard that his knuckles turned white. He was shaking slightly, but clearly trying not to show the fact that he was crying.

"He belongs to the maze now." Alby said grimly. The Keepers collectively looked down. Alby shot Dusk a meaningful look. "You know what to do." he said.

Dusk looked like a ghost. If Gail thought Keith was pale, Dusk beat him ten times over. When she'd first met him, he'd looked somewhat normal. Now he seemed to practically camouflage with the surroundings. His hoodie was pulled down over his head, so you could only see his mouth, which was turned down in a frown. Dusk nodded at Alby and walked off.

Newt walked up to Gail and Keith. He threw his pole to the side and placed a hand on Keith's shoulder. "You should have gone with Astrid, kid." He said. Keith opened his eyes and Gail now knew for a fact that he was crying. He wiped furiously at his eyes and nodded at Newt.

"I need to go check on Astrid. Care to join?" Newt asked. Gail and Keith nodded, but Thomas just stared ahead. "Tommy?" Newt prompted. Thomas jumped, startled by Newt's voice.

"What?" he asked, clearly shaken up.

Newt narrowed his eye at the boy. "On second thoughts, I think you need some bloody rest Tommy. Go lie down or something. We'll call you for dinner." He said. Thomas didn't even nod before lumbering off towards the sleeping area, a dazed look on his face.

Newt led the two of them to the infirmary. They walked in silence; not much could be said at this point of time. Keith could feel his heart being torn apart piece by piece from guilt. He could have easily gone into the maze and brought Ben back. This was the first Banishing he'd witnessed. He knew, of course, that bringing Ben back would be of any help. But it didn't lessen the burden of guilt.

Newt pushed the door to the infirmary open, just as someone caught up to them from behind. "Hey." Minho's voice sounded ragged. There was no happiness in the greeting. Newt raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Why're you here?" he asked, It came out rougher than he'd meant, but Minho wasn't one to take offense. "I came to see your sister. Never properly met her, ya know? First time I saw her, she was bleeding her head out. Thought maybe I could formally introduce myself." The Asian boy replied.

Newt didn't reply, simply walked inside. Sounds of laughter could be heard from one of the rooms. Naturally, the group of Gladers walked towards the room and opened the door.

Inside, Astrid sat on a bed, clapping her hands and laughing. Chuck stood in front of her. "If you don't work your butt off, I'll throw you off the cliff!" Chuck exclaimed in a deep voice, something Newt could only describe as the poorest imitation of Alby he'd ever seen. Astrid seemed to find this extremely funny, for she clutched her stomach, laughing.

"You better hope I never mention this little scene to Alby, slinthead." Newt said. Chuck whipped his head around and almost passed out from surprise.

"Newt! I didn't see you! I was just.. I'm just gonna… Need to… find water… go klunk." Chuck stammered as he raced out of the room. Newt smiled just the slightest bit and walked up to Astrid. He sat down beside her.

"Hey Astrid." He said. She beamed at him. "Newtie! Astrid remember Newtie!" she exclaimed. Newt's smile grew a little wider. Astrid simply had a way of making him smile when all he wanted to be was gloomy.

But their carefree atmosphere lasted for about two more seconds. Astrid's eyes spotted something on the wall beside Newt's head, and she let out a shriek, her eyes growing wide in terror. She pointed towards the thing and scrambled back on the bed, screaming. Newt turned to see what had scared his sister so much, but he saw nothing.

"STOP! PLEASE NO!" Astrid screamed. Newt's eyes searched the wall for any threat, but he saw nothing. "What is it Astrid?" He exclaimed.

"NOT THE BUGS PLEASE!" Astrid screamed even louder. Newt's eyes zeroed in on the thing Astrid was screaming about.

A beetle was slowly making its way across the wall of the homestead.

Newt couldn't possibly have been more surprised. Astrid was that scared of a simple bug? Minho started laughing, but the laugh died in his throat as Astrid began swatting at her arms and legs, crying. It was as if she were trying to brush invisible bugs off herself.

Astrid fell back on the bed, furiously rubbing her limbs. She screamed and slapped herself. She had begun convulsing by now. Shaken out of his shock, Newt sprung forward and pulled Astrid up. She struggled against him, shrieking and swatting. "GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!" she yelled.

"Astrid, there are no bugs! Calm down!" Newt tried to hold her arms, but she was fighting tooth and nail. She flailed around, ripping at her hair, as if she was trying to take out the bugs which were present in it.

"Astrid look! The bug's dead!" Minho supplied. It was true, the tiny insect lay dead at Minho's feet. He was holding a box in one hand, his eyes wide. Everyone else was simply frozen in shock.

Astrid looked at the dead bug and seemed to relax a bit. Newt gathered her into a hug, patting her back. She shivered, soft sobs escaping her lips. "It's okay Astrid. The bug's gone. You can relax now." He said softly.

"Dude, I've heard of chics being scared of bugs, but that was just plain _wow_." Minho said, rubbing his forehead. "Why do you think she was behaving like that?"

No one had an answer. Not even Keith, who thought he knew almost everything about Astrid as there was to know. He peered at her. She seemed truly horrified by the beetle. Astrid had just earlier that day run into a forest, charging at another Glader, in order to save Thomas. She wouldn't be afraid of a petty bug. He walked up to her and held her hand. She was crying into Newt's shoulder, as he muttered soothing words. Silence filled the room, as everyone had only one question in their minds.

What made Astrid behave like that?

~.~.~.~.

Teresa tapped her feet nervously. She stood in front of Ava Paige and Jansen. They'd called her to their office, and Teresa knew from experience that being called to the office wasn't a very good thing.

"Teresa…" Paige began. Here it comes, Teresa thought.

"We've had some rather… interesting responses from our very dear little Astrid."

"What?" Teresa blustered out. She'd expected to be informed of some mistake she'd made, or something having gone wrong. This was a surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

Paige nodded. "This morning, she ran into the forest with the other boy, wanting to help him. Even what she said sounded normal. What do you think?"

Teresa flashed back to what she'd observed this morning. Astrid had seemed normal-er than usual as she'd run into the forest. During the battle too, she hadn't seemed the least bit crazy. "I don't know ma'am" she said honestly.

Paige smiled. "Listen, Teresa. We have a theory. But you are one of the brightest students here. We want to see if you have any other theories."

Teresa thought for a moment. She'd seen what Gray had done to Astrid and Keith. It hadn't been the most pleasant of experiences. But still, maybe…

"Maybe the part of her brain that controls her instincts are still normal." She said. Her words made sense. Astrid had snapped, but her responses to stimuli were still normal. The involuntary acts, such as those of defending herself in case of an attack, those may have been based purely on instinct.

Teresa realized she'd just spoken all that aloud. She looked down, expecting to be reprimanded, but to her surprise, Paige sighed.

"Yes Teresa. That was our theory too. Astrid's brain may not function normally, but the part of it that controls her instincts seems to be intact. She's a little… different. But otherwise she's normal." She said. Teresa nodded. "It's pretty much like how she can still eat and sleep. She doesn't look at food as though it's foreign. Her lifestyle is completely normal, but some parts of her brain behave differently. She still behaves like a normal human being, eating, sleeping, taking a bath, defending herself when someone attacks, defending her friends when they're attacked."

Teresa nodded again, seeing where Paige was going with this. The older woman smiled a sad smile. "As much as it saddens me, we're going to have to test her on this point. You know what to do, don't you?" she asked, looking Teresa in the eye.

"Yes ma'am." She said.

~.~.~.~.~.

A/N: Teresa had a little trouble falling asleep that night. Her pillow seemed strangely uncomfortable. She tossed and turned, trying desperately to get herself to fall asleep. She closed her eyes tight.

After about ten minutes of tossing and turning, she could feel the familiar darkness of sleep closing in on her. But with sleep came dreams. And many a times, the dreams turned out to be nightmares…

 _Teresa stood in front of a glass window. She was here for the first time, but she knew what this was. It was the place Astrid and Keith were being kept. And tortured._

 _She hated this memory. She could've dismissed this as a nightmare every time she woke up, but the thing was, it wasn't something her brain had made up. She'd really seen this happen._

 _Thomas stood beside her, staring blankly into the white room that occupied the other side of the window. Paige and Jansen stood to her left._

" _Welcome!" A man strolled into the room. He wore the typical white lab coat of a scientist, but his was so filthy, it could have passed for brown. His hair was revolting, his scalp a disgusting tangle of what Teresa hoped was only lice. His eyes held a maniacal tinge to them._

" _Since we have two new guests," Dr. Gray winked at Teresa and Thomas, "I've decided to show a special feat."_

 _Teresa shuddered. Paige had told them what Gray had done to the two kids the last time they'd come here. She wasn't eager to see his 'feat'._

" _Come on in, Freaks!" Gray called out. A door to his left opened, and in stumbled Keith and Astrid, their hands bound in chains. Each clatter of the chains sent another shiver running through Teresa. Keith and Astrid looked underfed. In fact, they looked as though they'd stopped eating weeks ago. Astrid's hair was greasy and looked like it hadn't touched water for a very long time. Keith's brown hair brushed his shoulders. They walked with their heads hung forward, but their lifeless eyes bore into Teresa's. Their eyes were sunken, and seemed deprived of any color. Their mouths hung open, their emaciated limbs looking like twigs attached to a thin body._

" _This isn't human." Thomas said through gritted teeth. "You've already given them their powers. You're experiment was successful. Why are you still torturing them?" he asked, practically spitting the words at Gray._

 _Gray sneered. "You don't get what I'm trying to do, do you? I'm not doing this to prove my experiment. I'm turning them into weapons. Weapons which will keep any rebellious subjects suppressed. No one will DARE stand against WICKED. You should thank me!"_

 _He snapped his fingers, and three men came in. Two of them carried a transparent coffin, which they fitted against a slot in the walls. The third man handed Gray a whip, the whip itself being lined with tiny spikes._

" _If these two are going to be weapons, they need to be able to get through anything. So today, I'll test their resistance."_

 _He pulled Keith to one side of the room and forced him down on his knees. He struck the whip against the boy's back, making the latter flinch. He didn't say anything, but Teresa could see the tear run down his cheek. She clenched her fists._

" _Sorry, I just wanted to do that. This is the real test." Gray motioned towards the coffin, and his men leapt forward, picking Astrid up by the arms. The coffin stood up, with its base facing the wall and its open side facing Teresa. She could see the mechanisms that ran along its walls. She knew this wasn't some plain old coffin._

 _The men shoved Astrid inside, and strapped her into place. She didn't object. Either she knew it was of no use, or she simply didn't have enough strength. The men placed the transparent lid on top of her, sealing her inside the coffin. Gray cackled and rubbed his hands together._

" _Begin!"_

 _Immediately, Astrid's expression morphed into one of pure horror. She started screaming and thrashing, but her arms were stuck in place due to the constricted area of the coffin. She shook her body, tears streaming down her face. Teresa at first didn't see what she was so scared about, but slowly, it came into view._

 _Thousands of tiny beetles started filling up the coffin. They scurried over Astrid's arms and legs, digging their way into her ears. Astrid's body soon became obscured by the sea of black. They were trying to claw their way into her mouth. She screamed and tried to shake them off, but they had filled the entire coffin. She was stuck in there, with no way out. Teresa noticed one crawl into her ear and Astrid screamed louder. She was shaking violently now, trying in vain to shield herself from the critters._

" _STOP! PLEASE! LET ME OUT!" She yelled. The beetles now covered her entire body, snapping at her skin. She could hear the clacking noise of their teeth being sunk into Astrid's flesh. Every time one beetle moved slightly, a new bite mark formed on Astrid's skin. She spat a bug out of her mouth._

" _PLEASE LET ME GO!" she pleaded Gray. He simply smirked. He walked up to Keith and whipped him. Thrice._

 _The boy slumped forward, his back bloodied by the spikes. "KEITH!" Astrid screamed. She was wailing by now, and Keith put out an arm, trying to reach her._

" _QUIET!" Gray yelled. He looked threateningly at Astrid. "Every time you scream, this boy gets whipped five times. You need to stay quiet and bear the beetles. When I'm satisfied, I'll let you out."_

 _Astrid's eyes were pleading with him to let her out. She let out a shriek as a beetle tried to crawl into her mouth. Gray smiled and hit Keith five times. The spikes were coated with blood. Keith's shirt was barely visible anymore._

" _STOP!" Astrid screamed. "I won't cry, I promise! Don't hurt him!" she cried. She closed her eyes and shut her mouth. She stopped shaking, and pressed her arms tightly to her sides. Her chest shook with the silent sobs that escaped her, but she didn't scream. The bugs made their way into her hair, her ears. Her arms couldn't be seen over the bugs covering them. Her entire body was coated by a living, moving mass of beetles._

 _Teresa and the others had been frozen in shock. What they were witnessing was simply too much. Keith looked up at Gray, his brown eyes shining with tears. "Please, she isn't screaming anymore. Let her go." He begged. "You can put me there instead, just please, let her out."_

 _Gray laughed. "Brave boy, yes?" He hit Keith again with the whip, making Keith's face smash against the floor. He repeatedly lashed at him, while Astrid was now completely covered by bugs. The only part of her that was visible was her mouth. The rest was a blanket of beetles._

 _Thomas looked away and Teresa began sobbing. Paige gave Jansen a look, and they seemed to come to an agreement. "That's enough, Gray. Let the girl out." Jansen ordered. Gray hit Keith once more before looking up._

 _His eyes went to the coffin, and widened in mock surprise. "Oh my, I totally forgot!" he said. He ran over to the coffin, and opened the latch._

 _Astrid tumbled out, along with all the beetles. Teresa was shocked at their mere amount. They almost covered the entire floor. If Astrid had been bearing that many on her body…_

 _Keith got up shakily and stumbled over to Astrid. He ignore the bugs which crawled up his feet, ad dropped to his knees at her side. He encased her in a hug, sobbing. She cried into his chest. The two kids only had each other. Astrid, who still had bugs running about on her arms, and Keith, who's back was a raw mass of blood._

" _Gimme the brands." Gray ordered. His men passed him an object, and Teresa had to squint to see what it was. It seemed to be a multi-tong. Five metal rods protruded from the handle, each ending in a sort of squiggle. Each glowed red hot._

 _Gray walked up to the kids, and yanked them apart. Once again, they didn't refuse. He pulled up Keith's shirt, and pressed the red-hot metal tongs into his bare flesh, just above his waist, beside his stomach._

 _Keith let out a guttural yell. Teresa could see the metal rods burning into his flesh. When Gray pulled it away, Teresa could see a single word smoldering on Keith's skin._

 _Astrid's scream filled the place next, as the dream shattered._

Teresa sprang awake. She was thankful for the end of the dream. It had been one of the worst experiences of her life. She'd come to Headquarters that day and cried for three hours straight. Thomas and Paige wanted to take action against Gray. Even Jansen, who she had previously thought to be the most heartless person, wanted some way to get Astrid and Keith out.

Teresa hugged her knees, burying her face in them. She shivered as she remembered the faces of the two kids. She closed her eyes and let her tears fall.

 **~.~.~.~.**

 **A/N: Wow, I really am evil. Don't worry, I have a lot more in store for these two. ;)**

 **Right then. This chapter had a kind of important memory, so I hope it wasn't bad. Please review and tell me what you thought of it! I'd love to hear your opinions!**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hello again! My apologies for the late update, but I've been very busy. Also, this chapter is sort of a filler, but it contains important background info, so… I hope I didn't mess up. Also, my apologies if this chapter is boring. The action will start very soon, but I don't want to rush things. But once again, sorry if it's boring. :(**

 **Embers To Ashes: OMG OMG OMG PERCY JACKSON IS LIKE ONE OF My FAVOURITE SERIES EVER! It's seriously epic. And I cannot believe the compliment! I didn't think I wrote that well, and it made me very happy! As for the reason they were put in the maze, Gray had already been killed by Gail when she rescued them. Keith and Astrid were put in the maze to get their responses. Hope you enjoy this chapter and once again, thanks for the review!**

 **Lifelong potterhead: Astrid remembers flashes, but mainly just a fear of bugs. Thank you for the review, it seriously put a smile on my face! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)**

 **WGGTD1916: Thank you so much! I'm so glad you like my stories! Hope you enjoy this one! *wink wink* ;)**

 **OkayToBeACrank: Thank you! I'm so happy you liked it! I agree, it was sad.:) This chapter has a bit of Newt and Astrid, but I can promise you, we'll see more of the two as the story progresses. Hope you enjoy!**

 **Okay…**

 **Lee: Here she goes again with the 'torturing her characters' thing.**

 **Me: Ugh.**

 **Aidan: No, seriously though. What have these poor think even done to you?**

 **Me: CHANGING THE TOPIC**

 **Me: I CROSSED 30 REVIEWS OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG**

 **Me: THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

 **Aidan: Wow! I'm really happy for ya!**

 **Me: I KNOW RIGHT I CAN'T ELIEVE IT MYSELF I DIDN'T EXPECT SO MANY AND I ALSO CROSSED LIKE TWO THOUSAND VIEWS AND I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS HOLY MOTHER OF GAIA!**  
 **Lee: Um…**

 **Aidan: Calm down…**

 **Me: *does crazy happy dance***

 **Me: *jumps off tree and starts laughing head off like a maniac***

 **Aidan: Never mind.**

 **Me: HAHAHAHAAH I'M SO HAPPY!**

~.~.~.~.~

"Frypan's food may not be the best, but it's all we got." Newt muttered aside to Gail, as the two of them poured the beans onto their trays. Gail had to admit, the beans didn't look all that appetizing, but the smell was simply marvelous.

They headed back to their table, where Astrid, Keith, Minho and Thomas were waiting for them. Alby had excused himself earlier, telling the others that he didn't have too much of an appetite. Newt took his place beside Astrid, and she beamed up at him.

About an hour ago, she'd stopped her crying. It was stranger than anything these people had seen, and even Keith seemed perplexed. The kid usually knew everything about Astrid, but he didn't seem to know anything at all about her new episode. Now, she was playing with her sandwich, laughing at some stupid joke Minho had made. Newt shook his head slightly. Astrid may have been his sister, but he would never understand her.

The blond girl looked at him, seeming a little confused. "Walk funny?" She asked. Newt's face paled. He didn't like remembering that incident. What had happened two years ago, it all seemed like a bad dream. He'd wanted to dismiss it as one too, but his limp served as a reminder of that grave mistake. He caught Minho's eye, silently pleading for help. The other boy understood.

"Yeah Astrid. Your brother walks funny. I think one of his legs is longer than the other, so he's kinda unbalanced." He said. Newt had to resist the urge of groaning. Minho was trying to help in his own way. It wasn't his fault that his 'way' was stupid and annoyingly cheesy. However, Astrid seemed to find his lame joke extremely funny, for she burst out laughing.

She jumped up and down on her seat, pointing at Newt. "Walk funny! Astrid wanna see!" she exclaimed. Newt decided to humor her. He got up from his seat and started walking towards the door of the mess, exaggerating his limp as best as he could. Astrid doubled over, laughing so hard that tears had started forming in her eyes.

Newt walked back to her and picked her off her seat by her waist. He swung her around, going in circles with her hair flying. She screamed, but it wasn't a scream of terror. It was a sound of joy, of happiness. Newt could hear laughter erupt from their table. He set Astrid down, and she staggered, dizzy from the circles. She giggled, biting her lip, and took Newt's shoulder for support. He smirked at her.

"I may walk funny, but my tickles aren't funny at all!" He said. He poked his fingers at her waist, and she shrieked in delight, trying to run away. Newt caught her again and started tickling her neck.

For a moment, everything was forgotten. The Maze, the Grievers, WICKED, everything. All that mattered was the joy which these two people gave the others. Thomas couldn't help but gape at the two. Newt was likeable, that he'd always known. But there was just something about Astrid that made you want to smile. He was still shaken up from Ben's banishing, but Astrid's laughter brought a curve to his lips as well. The girl wasn't extraordinarily pretty or anything, but her innocence and the small things in which she found happiness were enough to make the atmosphere one of joy and mirth.

Gail covered her mouth, laughing so hard that she couldn't even pick up her spoon. She looked to the side, resting her head on her arm, as she shook with chuckles. Almost everyone in the mess was laughing. Even Gally, the boy who never smiled, had his lips turned up just the slightest bit.

Gail's good eye fell on someone else, and her laughter slowly died. Dusk was sitting with his back to everyone else, at a table in the corner. He had turned around to look at what was going on, and the pain in his face made Gail feel guilty for laughing. His expression was one of longing. He looked at the group of friends, laughing and joking about, his eyes conveying a clear message. He wanted what they had. It wasn't jealousy, not by a long shot. It was simply longing.

Dusk caught Gail's eye and pulled his hoodie over his head, turning back to his own table. He sat secluded from everyone else, bending over his food. Gail had noticed a few people shoot him odd looks, as though they were disgusted by his very presence. But something in their expression made Gail wonder if it was disgust, or fear.

She couldn't help but notice the lack of other people at Dusk's table. The boy seemed like a loner, everyone else veering away from him. He sat in the shadows, practically blending in. In fact, they obscured him so much from Gail's view, that she wasn't sure for a moment whether it had been him or not. She decided to confirm.

"Hey Newt?" she asked, turning back to their table. Minho was in the process of making some joke, to which Astrid responded by guffawing loudly. The girl never got tired of laughing. It was either that, or screaming. Newt looked at Gail, waiting for her question.

"That boy over there, that's Dusk, isn't it?" She asked, pointing towards him with her finger. Minho followed her direction, and snorted. "'Course it is. You see a creepy dude with no friends sitting at a lonely table by himself, then it's probably Dusk."

"Minho." Newt said, adding a stern look towards his friend. Minho shrugged. "What? I'm just saying what's true." He responded.

"Astrid full." Astrid cut in. She rubbed her stomach lightly and looked at Newt. "Astrid sleepy." She added.

"c'mon Astrid. I'll take you." Keith jumped in. He could tell from the look Newt was giving Minho that this topic was one they didn't want to discuss in front of Astrid. He got up, taking her hand. After a nod towards the others, the two headed off, Astrid pulling at Keith's hair for no apparent reason.

"What do you mean?" Thomas asked, turning back to the group. Gail's eyes were set on Dusk, but she managed to tear them away, looking at Newt with a hard gaze. Newt sighed. "It's a long story." He said. Gail rolled her eyes. "We've got a while." She snapped.

Newt looked down, suddenly having found an interest in the wood of the table. He took a deep breath. "Dusk wasn't always like this." He said.

"What?" Gail asked, looking a little confused.

"There were three of them when he first came into the maze, two years ago. Three inseparable friends. Grant, Cole and Dusk. The three of them were the pranksters of this place, more sarcastic than Minho, pulling pranks on each and every other Glader. They never lost the smiles on their faces."

"Back then, Dusk wasn't a Bagger. He was a Med-Jack, working alongside Clint. Grant was a Track-Hoe, Cole a Runner. A day wouldn't go without those three laughing their heads off at some poor shank who had been subjected to their practical jokes. We didn't think anything could have broken them. Until that day."

Their table was now completely silent. Even Minho, who knew what Newt was going to say, was looking at his friend with a curious look. Newt could paint the whole incident with words. He shuddered as he remembered that fateful day. Gail and Thomas were looking at Newt expectantly.

"Cole came back from the maze, but he was in a terrible state. He'd been stung, and hadn't managed to make it back in time. The Grief serum only works if you can get back to us in time. You think Ben was bad? Cole was five times worse."

"We had no choice but to lock him up in the slammer. He made a wild boar look tame. Scartching and clawing at everything. And Grant…" Newt's voice faltered. He put his face in his hands, trying to shove back his tears.

"We warned him… we warned him not to go…" He said. Gail put her hand on his, gripping it tightly. "What happened, Newt?" she asked softly.

"Grant wanted to go check on Cole. He said he wouldn't do anything. But once he went, he didn't come back for another half an hour. We got a little suspicious, and went to see what was taking him so long. As we came to the slammer, we saw that it was empty, the door being hacked to shreds. A trail of blood led off into the forest. Knowing where this led, we ran, following the trail."

Newt closed his eyes, the memory taking him over.

When they'd reached, Cole's teeth had been in Grant's neck. He'd torn the other boy's throat out. They'd locked him up again, but they couldn't save Grant. Dusk had held his friend as he died.

But that wasn't the end of Dusk's miseries. When they'd returned to Cole to take him for the banishing, they'd found him trying to bludgeon himself to death. Dusk had ripped the stone out of his hand, slamming his head against the wall until he gave in. He had been the one to tie Cole's hands, to drag him till the doors. The tears on Dusk's face were more than visible, but he had refused to break.

When they tried shoving Cole into the maze, he'd stood at the side, his silent sobs going unnoticed by many. But it hadn't ended there either. It had been as though Fate had wanted to push Dusk to his breaking point. Once between the walls, the Keepers had retracted their poles. But Cole refused to budge from between the massive structures of stone. He stood there, still as a statue, yelling at them that he though he deserved to be squished like a bug for what he had done. But just before he could be squashed by the walls, Dusk had grabbed a pole from the others and pushed him inside the maze. He'd shoved his best friend into the hands of the grievers, in order to save him.

Newt realized he'd been talking the whole time, narrating the entire incident to Gail and Thomas. Thomas' mouth hung open, and Gail had her palm covering hers.

"Dusk changed to a Bagger after that day. He buried Grant's body himself. He also made a grave for Colt. Everyone knew he had done what he had to keep Cole from being squeezed to death by the walls, but from then on, everyone thought of him as creepy and strange. He never laughed, talked or smiled. He kept himself away from people." Newt finished.

"Oh my god…" Gail managed. She couldn't believe it. The boy who had comforted her when she had broken down, had such a broken history of his own? She knew her past mustn't have been fairyland, but whatever it was, it seemed like dreams compared to Dusk's. No wonder he had looked at them with longing. His friends had been snatched away from him.

Without a word to the others, Gail got up from her seat. She could hear their cries of protest, but she didn't really care. She walked up to Dusk's table, and slid down next to him.

He jumped, clearly startled to have another person sitting beside him. He pulled back his hood, revealing his surprised eyes. He took a moment to take in the fact that Gail was here, before going back to looking at the table. Gail put an arm on his shoulder.

"Hey." She said. A simple word, nothing significant. But she could tell from Dusk's epression that it meant a lot to him. She tried to associate the boy sitting beside her right now with the one who had come after her just yesterday. She simply couldn't.

"What're you doing here? No one comes here." Dusk said. His voice was hoarse, and for a moment, Gail harbored the feeling that he might have been crying. She decided not to say anything on that. Instead, she smirked.

"Really? Then why're you here?" She asked. Dusk sniggered. "I'm the _reason_ no one comes here." He told her. Gail was taken aback by this statement. She tried not to show it. She was about to retort with some smart-alek, Minho-style comment, but was interrupted by a laugh.

"Well, lookie here! Psycho and the crazy Greenie. Sitting together! Man, Dusk, aren't you glad someone showed up who's stupid enough not to see the fact that you're a maniac? Must feel good eh? Finally having a friend?"

Gail turned towards the source of the sound, spotting Gally standing not five feet away from them, surrounded by his goons. Newt had told her about him on her tour; he was the Keeper of the builders. His appearance was almost as loathsome as his voice. Almost.

"What do you want, Gally?" Gail snarled. Gally shrugged. "You should know who to hang out with, Greenie. This guy here, there's a reason no one talks to him. You don't know what he's done. Anyone who comes near him ends up dead. Stay away, or you'll join 'em." He warned.

Dusk looked at the table again, shutting his eyes tight. Gail could see a tear trickle down his cheek. She felt her anger flare up. From what she knew, Dusk wasn't a bad guy. Nothing gave Gally the right to talk about him like that.

"Just mind your bloody business Gally." She said, adding a glare towards the group. Gally smirked. "Or what? What're you gonna do, Greenie? Team up with Psycho here and throw me into the maze?"

Before she could think on her actions, Gail grabbed a fork from the table and leapt off the bench. She threw herself at Gally, pinning him gainst the wall. She pressed her forearm to his throat and stabbed the fork into his other arm. He screamed in pain.

"Next time you decide to poke that disgusting nose of yours in other people's business, the fork will be in your gut." Gail spat. She could feel Gally's putrid breath, as he tried to calm himself. The entire mess was silenced, everyone simply awed by the new development.

"Get away from me." Gally said through gritted teeth. Gail yanked out the fork and stepped back. Gally rubbed the wound and glared at her. "You'll pay for this Greenie." He threatened. Gail shrugged.

"I'd feel threatened if the threat came from someone who had an intelligence level of a tad more than an amoeba." She retorted. She could practically see steam come out from Gally's ears. He turned on his heels and marched out of the mess, his goons following him. Gail spun around and sat back down beside Dusk, who was looking at her with an expression of shock.

"Why would you… He insulted _me_ … Why would _you_ do that?" He stammered. Gail raised an eyebrow.

"That's what friends do, Dusk. When someone insults your friend, you beat the klunk outta them." She replied, the Glader slang sounding slightly foreign on her tongue. Dusk looked even more shocked at this.

"Friend?" He asked, incredulous, as though that word meant something extraordinary. Gail nodded. "Yes, friend. It's not that difficult to pronounce, only one syllable." She echoed the words he'd spoken to her in the forest.

Dusk stared at her for one more moment before turning back to the table. He shook his head. "Gally was right, Gail."

Gail's jaw dropped open. "What!?"

Dusk sighed. "He was right. I'm a creep. I killed my best friend. I made his grave and buried my other best friend. No one talks to me because I don't deserve friends. Anyone who's friends with me ends up dead. And besides, who'd want to talk to a weirdo like me?" He said. He got up from his seat, picking up his tray. His plate was licked clean. "Most people stay away from me, Gail. You probably will too, after a while. The word 'friend' is obsolete in my dictionary." He added.

He walked to the bin and threw his tray in. He cast Gail a last look, forming what seemed like the hint of a sad smile on his face. He turned away, pulling up his hood, and walked out of the mess, leaving Gail to ponder his words.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: See? I'm a nice person. I left y'all with an un-Cliffy ending. Matter stands that in the chapter I basically broke my remaining OC. So? What did you guys think of Dusk? I really do love tormenting my characters, don't I?**

 **Please favourite, follow, review! Any of the three make me very happy indeed!**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Hello again! I sincerely apologize for the late update, but it took me a while to think out this chapter. Also, I'm writing another story, so if y'all want, y'all can check that out too, it's a Hunger Games SYOT (though all spots are filled). This chapter may not be so interesting, but I can assure you that I'm building up to the action. I do hope you like my story! :)**

 **Embers to Ashes: Haha, silly me! Of course, my name practically shouts out my favorite fandoms. But seriously though, I love PJO and HoO. Hehe. And also THANK THE GODS I THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY ONE WHO THOUGHT DUSK'S NAME WAS COOL OMG! Right. Sorry 'bout that outburst. But I hope you like this chapter!**

 **Lifelong potterhead: I am, aren't I? especially to my precious characters. I'm so glad you liked Dusk's backstory, and Gail's fight! Thanks for the compliment!**

 **Guest: Thank you! I'm so happy you like my characters! :)**

 **So then, on to th-**

 **Lee: I'm BACK!**

 **Aidan: Correction- WE ARE BACK!**

 **Me: *groans***

 **Aidan: hey, person, I don't see one reason why you should not want us here.**

 **Lee: Exactly. Like, don't we just add to the awesomeness? Imagine the story without us. *shakes head* sad…**

 **Me: Excuse you, this story would be perfectly functional without you two bonkerheads. IT AINT EVEN ABOUT YOU!**

 **Aidan: wow, you sure have weird insults**

 **Aidan: Bonkerheads? Man, I don't think the word exists in the English Dictionary.**

 **Lee: And listen up person. We're gonna stay here and awesome-ify this story whether you like it or not.**

 **Me: o.O**

 **Me: Am I the only author who gets threatened by their own characters?**

 **Me: Onto the story, if you two please.**

 **Aidan: Permission granted.**

 **Me: Thank you thy majesty.**

~.~.~.~.

Gail dug her shovel into the soil, uprooting the weeds. She'd gotten a job as a Track-Hoe, not because she was good at it or anything, but simply because it was lacking in people. She hadn't refused; after all, it let her work side by side with her brother.

As she worked, she couldn't help but think back to the conversation of the previous night. The way Dusk had talked about himself, it stung. It actually _stung_ to hear someone talk about themselves as though they were God's curse on mankind. And Gail, from what she knew (which wasn't all that much), thought of Dusk as a good chap. He certainly didn't deserve all this.

She was pulled out of her reverie by someone shaking her shoulder. She jumped, startled. Keith was looking at her funny, his eyes narrowed. "You okay?" he asked. Gail nodded. Keith didn't take his eyes off her.

"It's Dusk, isn't it?" he concluded. It wasn't really a question. He really knew what she was thinking. She nodded.

"It's just… I wonder what sort of people would be so cruel to put us in here… And what happened to Dusk… I'm just surprised he's still standing up on two feet." She managed. Keith nodded, understanding what it must have been like to have a tortured past. No one could possibly understand the meaning of that word better than himself.

He stood up, stretching slightly. He was tired of all this work; weeding the entire garden took up quite a lot of energy. Gail raised an eyebrow at him questioningly, though it seemed a tad strange with her eye-patch.

"I think I'm gonna rest for a while. I'm heading over to the homestead." Keith told her. She nodded, standing up. She brushed the dirt off her hands and smiled. "I'll come with you." She offered. Keith didn't exactly know why she needed to come with him to the homestead, where after all, he was simply going to relax. Nevertheless, he grinned, walking towards the building.

Gail followed him. Her brother didn't know the real reason she didn't want to leave him alone. She simply couldn't rid herself of the thought that something terrible might happen to him, and she wouldn't be around to protect him.

Keith meant more to Gail than anything else. If she was ordered to demolish all the walls with her bare hands in order to protect him, she would have found a way to do so. They reached the Homestead and Keith led them to a room. He settled down on the soft bed, rubbing his hands over the material. Gail sat beside him and took his shoulder. Her brother seemed troubled. He was fidgety and shaky, as though something was bothering him.

"Wanna come out with it?" Gail asked softly.

Keith looked up at her, his green eyes slightly moist. "I just keep thinking about Ben." He replied. Gail didn't say anything. Sometimes the best comfort was silence. Keith sighed. "There's just no way I can convince myself that there was nothing I could have done to save him." He managed. He didn't want to reveal anything about his abilities, but he wanted to confide in Gail just the same.

The older girl nodded. "I know what you mean, Keith. But even if you found some way to bring him back, these people would simply banish him again." Gail consoled. Keith didn't say anything. That had precisely been his thoughts, but it didn't change his feelings by one bit.

"I just sometimes wish none of this would have happened. None of this maze business, none of this whole WICKED thing. We could have had a normal family, living normal lives, with normal friends." Gail sighed. Keith let out a bitter laugh.

"Nothing's ever going to be normal for a freak like me, Gail." He said softly. Gail looked at him, slightly surprised. "Don't talk about yourself like that Keith, you aint a freak." She said, taking his shoulder.

He smiled, but there was no humor in the smile. He curled his fingers round the hem of his T-shirt, and pulled the thing over his head. He turned away so Gail could clearly see his back.

What she saw made her cover her mouth in shock.

Numerous scars decorated Keith's back. One couldn't see the skin beneath the long jagged lines, which Gail could tell in one glance were the outcome of lacerations. Gail had been informed of the fact that Keith and Astrid had been tortured before they had come into the maze, which had led to Astrid being the way she was, but nothing could have prepared her for this. If Keith had been whipped so many times…

"You wanna know why I call myself a Freak, Gail?" he asked, tears already making his eyes shinier than usual, "Take a look for yourself."

He turned around, and Gail could see what he meant. Just above his waist, five characters were burned into his flesh. They were raw and red, but Gail could tell that they had been branded into his skin with a hot metal object a long time ago. But it wasn't just the painful fact that somebody had burned these things into Keith's flesh. It was what the thing was.

Five letters. And they spelled out one clear word.

 _FREAK_.

Gail felt a sob escape her throat. She'd never thought someone could have been tortured like this. If this was the outcome, she couldn't even bear to think abut what Keith ad Astrid might have had to endure at the time of being tortured. Keith gave her a meaningful look, as though the brand on his gut was supposed to justify him calling himself a freak.

"Oh, Keith." Gail cried, pulling him into a tight embrace. Her tears wet his shoulders, but he didn't say anything. He simply buried his head in her neck and stayed there, taking in the fact that no matter what happened, his sister was there with him.

Gail pulled away, but kept her hand on Keith's shoulders. She forced him to look at her. Her eye was filled with determination and anger. "I swear to God, once I get out of this place, I'm gonna track down whoever did this to you and feed them to crows." She said through gritted teeth.

Keith laughed weakly. "You already did." He told her. At her confused expression, he decided to add on. "You rescued Astrid and me from the place where we were being tortured, and in doing so, also killed the bloke that had tortured us." He elaborated.

Gail was silent for a few moments, simply looking at Keith, unsure of what to say next. Finally, she got up and took Keith's shirt. She slipped it over his head and patted down the creases. "Listen to me Keith." She said sternly, holding his arms, "I'm gonna get you out of here. That's a bloody promise." She pulled his head up and kissed his forehead lightly. "And don't you forget it." she added.

"Ahem." A voice came from the doorway. Newt stood there, looking a little bored. He was leaning against the frame of the door, his head tilted to one side. Gail glared at him. "What?" she snapped.

"Sorry to interrupt the whole sibling-bonding thing, but Zart's having a fit. He claims you haven't finished the weeding." He said. Gail deepened her glare, but Newt just shrugged. Keith laughed, pushing Gail gently towards the door. "Go." He said. "You need to finish that extremely important job. We don't want Zart to die of a panic attack because there were too many weeds in the garden, now do we?"

Gail smiled reassuringly at him, to let him know she meant her words. She was still a little mad at Newt for ruining the moment, but she followed him anyway, as he headed out of the Homestead.

~.~.~.~.

"Why aren't they back yet?" Thomas exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

Gail sighed loud enough for everyone to hear. "Thomas that's the fifth time you've asked that in a span of twenty minutes. The answer really isn't gonna change." She told him. He paid her no heed, as he continued to pace restlessly.

"The Gree-" Newt stopped abruptly, casting Gail a sideways look, "I mean, Gail, is correct Tommy. They'll come back. You needa stop with the whole pacing thing." He tried to sound nonchalant about the entire situation, but Gail could hear the worry in his voice.

"Should we send someone in after them? All the other Runners are back. Maybe one of them can go in." Keith offered. He sat beside Astrid on a stone, while the latter, oblivious to the entire situation, contented herself in sticking petals in his hair. Every time one fell off, she would give a slight huff of annoyance, and scold the petal for being a 'naughty little puppy' (the petals looked absolutely nothing like puppies).

The five of them were sitting around a tree Thomas and Newt were supposed to be felling. Thomas had given up on the job and taken to pacing, while Newt was still defiantly trying to complete it. Gail was looking upon the whole situation, slightly amused. Keith was sorting through the peas.

Minho had claimed the previous day to having seen a dead griever not too far from where Ben had been stung. Alby and he had decided to run till that area and investigate. Thomas had not only been appalled at the thought of Minho and Alby going to the place where Ben had recently been stung, but as the hour of the doors closing neared, he became more and more worried.

"Tommy, they'll make it. Would you stop prancing around like a lost little doll and help me over here?" Newt sounded exasperated. Gail couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping her. Thomas looked at the doors, and probably decided that pacing was of no use, for he took an axe from Newt and joined in, hacking at the tree.

"Done!" Keith sat back, the bowl of peas in his lap toppling slightly as he did so. "Man, sorting peas is hard. Didn't know there were so many rotten ones in there." He sounded winded, as he pantomimed wiping sweat from his brow. He turned to Astrid. "Hey, you think you could get these to the kitchen?" he asked.

Astrid nodded enthusiastically. She snatched the bowl of peas from his lap, and stood up, causing a few peas to fall out. "Astrid help!" she exclaimed. She was about to start off in the direction of the kitchen, when Newt stopped her, taking her arm.

"Um, Astrid, hang on a moment, will ya?" He looked sheepishly at Gail. "You think you can maybe go with her? I don't want her to… ya know…" he stammered. Gail laughed, understanding his meaning. She stood up and walked over to where Astrid stood, looking at Newt with a confused expression on her face.

"C'mon Astrid. I'll come with you." Gail told the younger girl. She beamed at her. "Fairy come!" she cried happily. She shrugged off Newt's hand, who shot Gail a thankful look. Astrid began skipping towards the kitchen, Gail right behind her.

Once inside the kitchen, Astrid looked around, trying tofind a spot for the basket. Gail stood in the doorway, monitoring her actions. A plan had started forming in her head. Astrid and she were alone in this place. Now was the perfect opportunity.

She felt guilt tear through her limbs, but she knew this was what she had to do. As Astrid completely lost interest in the peas and began admiring the row of spoons, Gail slowly began to walk up on her. Astrid's back was turned, so she didn't notice Gail stretching out her hands towards her neck. Gail's fingers had almost reached Astrid's throat, when the door to the kitchen flew open.

Instantly, Gail changed her stance, pretending to brush something off Astrid's back. She looked towards the doorway to get a look at her intruder. Keith stood there, panting, as though he had run the whole way here.

"Gail.. it's the doors…" He managed. "What?" she asked, not knowing the cause of his hurry.

"They're about to close…" he stated. "And Minho and Alby aren't back yet."

Gail's eyes widened. If Minho and Alby didn't make it back in time… No she refused to think about it. She bolted out the door, while Keith yanked Astrid after them.

Almost every Glader had crowded around the West Doors, as they anxiously waited for any sight of Minho and Alby. The doors would close any moment now, and there was still no sign of the two. Newt had his nails between his teeth, biting them so hard, he was sure he'd drawn blood. Thomas was as still as a statue, his eyes scanning every inch of the corridor, as though he expected Minho and Alby to jump out of a wall. Gail, Keith and Astrid joined them, panting.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from inside the maze, parting Newt's hair from the front. They all knew what this meant. The doors were about to close.

"Oh no…" Chuck muttered. They had to come back now.

"There!" Thomas exclaimed, pointing off towards something in the corridor. At first Newt didn't see anything, but then, the figures of two people came into view. "Wait, no something's wrong.." He said, peering closely at his friends.

Minho appeared to be carrying Alby, the latter appearing to be totally out of it. Minho was clearly struggling under Alby's weight; Alby was no lightweight. The massive doors started inching closer together, and with a feeling of doom, Newt realized the two of them would never make it.

The gladers erupted in screams, encouraging Minho on. Newt simply stared at the two of them, resisting the urge to run in himself. The doors were almost closed now, and Minho was too far. The boy refused to leave his friend; he let out a frustrated yell, for even he knew it was all in vain. They'd never make it.

Suddenly, Thomas leapt forward, wedging himself in the small opening between the almost-closed doors. "TOMMY NO!" Newt yelled as he clawed at Thomas' shirt to yank him back. He narrowly missed. Thomas blindly ran forward, ignoring the protests behind him.

He stumbled into the other side, just as the doors shut for the night.

Keith didn't wait for anything else. He'd slunk to the back of the group, so as to not be noticed. He turned and ran towards what he hoped would be a secluded spot. He stopped in front of the map room and threw open the door. He knew the Runners kept their weapons here.

"What is Keethie doing?" he heard a voice. He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was. "Go away Astrid." He told her.

As usual, Astrid ignored him. She came up to him and took his shoulder, turning him around so that he faced her. He stood several inches taller than her, but her icy blue eyes bore into his all the same. "Keith going into the maze." She concluded. Keith groaned internally. Astrid knew him so well, it was freaky.

"Yes Astrid. I can't sit around doing nothing. I could have helped Ben, but I didn't. I won't make the same mistake again. Minho, Thomas and Alby don't have too much of a chance of surviving. My help probably won't be of much use, but at least I'll know I tried." He told her. He wasn't going to stand around a second time. He'd let Ben die at the hands of the Grievers, but he wasn't going to repeat it.

"Not tell anyone?" Astrid said. She was reminding him of his own order of keeping their abilities hidden. He nodded. "Don't worry Astrid. They won't see me. I can become invisible, remember?"

Astrid looked thoughtfull, as Keith slipped another knife into his belt. "Astrid help." She told him. Keith whipped around, looking incredulous.

"What!? No!" he said, his eyes wide. He hadn't expected this. He couldn't let Astrid come, it was way too dangerous.

"Astrid, it's too dangerous. I might not even come back alive. I can't let you come!" he said. But he knew that look in her eyes. It always came on when she decided on something. She'd had the same look when they charged into the forest. She was going to come with him, whether he liked it or not.

"Astrid help. Keith won't go without Astrid." She gripped his arm tightly to emphasize her point. Keith could already hear Gail's voice, yelling his name. They were searching for the two of them. They didn't have time.

"Fine." He said irritably. He didn't want Astrid etting hurt, but he would have to try and protect her in the maze, for she certainly wasn't going to stay in the glade. She smirked at him and took a dagger from his arms. She stuck it in her boot and looked back at him, her expression now completely serious. She once again amazed Keith with her normalcy. Usually none of her actions made sense, but now, it was almost as though she was completely normal.

He took her hands in his own. Despite the situation, he could feel tears forming in his eyes. He might have been about to lead them to their deaths. This wasn't just dangerous, it was beyond stupid. But he couldn't just abandon his friends. Thomas and Minho needed help. He looked at Astrid, his green eyes meeting her firm blue ones. Even though she didn't say anything, she was silently reassuring him, telling him that his decision was correct. He sighed and closed his eyes, picturing the first maze corridor, just outside the West Door.

When he opened them again, the two of them were standing inside the maze, the bland grey walls of the place looming over them threateningly. He looked at Astrid with a mixture of horror and anxiety. He hoped against hope what they were doing was correct.

The night had begun…

~.~.~.~.~

 **A/N: And there it is, folks! The return of the cliffies! Aren't I just incredible?**

 **Lol, jk. Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, hope y'all liked the chapter, even though it might have been boring. Please review! It makes me so un-sayably happy! (wow, WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper, way to ruin English language!)**

 **A fellow Glader.**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hello everyone! I just wanted to say, y'all will have to wait to know what happens to Astrid and Keith. Like in my other TMR story, I always add the reaction chapter after the characters-get-stuck-in-the-maze chapter. I feel as though it's important. Sorry if it's boring, but I felt as though it was needed. Also, so sorry for the late update, but I've been very busy and... Right. No rambling. Sorry.**

 **Embers to Ashes: Well, Yeah, he literally just put his hand in death's mouth. And don't worry, I'm not making things so easy for Gail and Astird. hehe. ;)**

 **lifelong potterhead: Thank you so much! Hope you enjoy!**

 **CheetahGirl9X9:wow, I felt so nice reading your review! Thank you so much! Hope the chapter is good!**

 **Okay...**

 **Aidan: Well-**

 **Me: NOT TODAY NO YOU WONT! OUT!**

 **Me: THE STORY!**

 **~.~.~.~.**

Gail shut her eyes as the doors closed on Minho and Thomas. Newt was screaming Thomas' name, but it was to no avail. He put his hands against the wall, touching his forehead to the cold gray surface of the unforgiving structures of stone. Gail could see him take deep breaths.

He waited till a count of ten before facing the group of Gladers, who were shocked beyond words. Newt couldn't afford to be weak. He needed to hold this group together now that Alby and Minho were…

"Get back to work all of you." He said curtly, not bothering himself enough to be soft. "But Newt…" Clint started. He stopped at the look of anger Newt gave him. He shriveled back into the mass, his words dying in his throat. Gail put her hand on Newt's shoulder.

"I think we all need a rest." She addressed the crowd. She had an authority in her voice that told everyone she expected to be obeyed. Newt could never figure this girl out. Sometimes she was cranky, sometimes sassy, and sometimes just plain weird. And now this new avatar of hers: Leader like.

The Gladers slowly sulked back to their respective jobs in silence, each having only one thought in their mind. What would happen to the three Gladers in the maze?

Gail's eyes searched for her brother's face. He'd been at the back of the group, but now she couldn't spot him. Neither could she see the bubbly blond head of Astrid. Newt seemed to realize this too, for he looked at her with a worried expression. "Any idea where those two went?" he assumed she knew who he was referring to.

Gail shook her head. "I'll go look." She offered. Newt nodded absent-mindedly. Gail left him standing in front of the doors, looking at his feet. She felt slightly worried for the boy. His best friends had been left in the jaws of death, and he had been helpless in its face. She remembered the look of utter defeat on his face when the doors had shut, the look that was reflected on Minho's greasy features.

"Keith?" she called out. She'd expected to find him at the homestead, but found him in none of the rooms there. When she asked him, Frypan advised her to go look in the fields, where Keith usually worked.

"Keith? Where the hell are you?" Gail yelled his name, a little louder this time, as she scoured the field for any sign of her brother or the girl. Nothing. She found no sign that they'd been here. That was when she started to panic.

"Keith! Answer me!" She yelled, running the lengths of the glade, thirsty for a response from Keith. All she got were a few weird looks from the rest of the gladers, but saw absolutely no sign of Keith. She reached the kitchen and threw the door open. She yelled her brother's name again, but to no avail. She slammed the door shut and started running towards the med-hut. She had no idea why she wanted to look there, but she was a tad desperate now. She was running so fast, that she didn't notice the blurry figure of a certain blond boy coming towards her.

Bam!

They both were sent sprawling across the grassy ground of the glade. Gail didn't even bother moaning in pain. She simply got up and grabbed Newt's shoulders, her eyes conveying her anxiety. "I cant find them anywhere, Newt!" she said, her throat constricted. Newt's eyes widened.

"Gail, relax. The Glade is huge, they must be in some other part." He said, putting an arm on her shoulder. She shrugged it off. "THEN SEND SOMEONE TO LOOK!" she yelled. She could feel the tears which threatened to spill over her cheeks.

"Panicking isn't gonna help anybody, so you need to calm down first. I'm sure Keith and Astrid are fine." Newt said softly, but he sounded as though he was trying to control himself. He turned around and gestured to two other boys, who ran over to them. "You two know Keith? The kid who came before Chuck?" at nods from the two, he continued. "Right. Find him and the other girl."

"Wait, what do you mean _find_ them?" one asked. Gail let out a low growl, almost animal-like. "What do you think it means, genius? Look everywhere, and FIND THEM!" she yelled, leaping up and grabbing his collar. He was taller than her, but Gail had another meter of attitude.

"Hey!" Newt got up too, yanking Gail off the boy, who stared at her with big eyes, a shocked expression on his face. "Listen up Stan. Just ask people if they know where those two are. Please." Newt gave him a look to tell him he was serious. The boy- Stan- nodded, and ran off with the other one. Each went to a different Glader and spoke in hurried voices, using a lot of hand gestures.

"Calm down Gail. We'll find them" Newt said. But nothing could stop the way Gail's heart was beating…

~.~.~.~.

"WHERE ARE THEY!?" Gail was panicking big-time. Newt sat with his head between his palms, rubbing his forehead the way he did when he was worried. They had found no sign of either Keith or Astrid. They'd searched every inch of the glade; by Evening, this was what every Glader had been doing. But the found absolutely no news of the two.

Newt couldn't believe it. Where could the two possibly have gone? They'd searched everywhere, but they hadn't found them. For a scary moment, Newt considered the possibility of them being in the maze, but he quickly wrote that off. They hadn't seen them go out, and they rest of the doors were closed on that day.

Zart ran up to them, out of breath. He put his hands on his knees, bending down. Gail walked up to him and grabbed his arm. "Did you find them?" She asked, anxious. He shook his head, dejected. Gail let out a frustrated cry and stomped her foot.

"They can't be anywhere else! No one saw them go into the maze, so they have to be in the Glade!" she cried. Zart could tell she was losing it, and that saying one thing against her at that moment would have been hazardous to health.

G ail could have climbed a wall and jumped off. She hated herself. She'd been given one job, one. And she had failed to do it. This was her punishment.

Gail knew she should have killed Astrid when she had the chance. But she'd been too soft, fighting her conscience. This was the people's way of reminding her of what they could do if she didn't kill the other girl. Gail simply couldn't take it anymore. She pushed Zart aside and marched off towards a large wooden structure.

The thing seemed to be crumbling down, but Gail figured that if she climbed to the top, she could be alone for a while. She steadily started climbing the wooden steps, the rough surface scraping the soft skin of her palm. The moment she reached the top, she slumped down and brought her knees close to her chest. She buried her face in them and sniffed. She refused to cry. She couldn't look weak.

If she had killed Astrid then and there, this wouldn't have happened to Keith. It was all her fault. The people were reminding her that if she didn't do as they asked, they would snatch Keith away from her. "I'm sorry Keith…" She said, a tear forcing its way down her cheek.

She could hear footsteps marching up the steps, and hurriedly wiped the tear, trying hard to make her expression angry, not forlorn. She'd expected Newt or Zart to come looking for her, but instead found herself staring at the warm brown eyes of Dusk.

"Hey." He said simply. Gail looked away. Dusk came over and sat beside her, completely ignoring her gesture of 'go away'. Sighing lightly, Gail turned to face him.

"Did they find them?" she asked. Dusk shook his head. Gail shut her eyes, as anger replaced her emotions.

"everyone's looking for them, and I can swear we've searched everywhere, but we see nothing." He said, looking down. "Newt just called for light's out."

Gail stared at him with a mixture of shock and disbelief. "But doesn't Newt want Astrid to be found?" she exclaimed. Dusk laughed bitterly. "You should've seen the way he said it. Gail, the chap's breaking from all the worry. Minho and Alby are in the maze with the Greenie Thomas. Astrid's missing. I think all he needs is a bit of rest."

Gail nodded, but didn't understand how someone could sleep with so much stress. She was going out of her mind with worry. Then again, different people had different ways of dealing with stress. Newt's was sleeping. Hers was staying up and worrying.

But even though she didn't understand it, she could tell that Newt's decision had been correct. Today had been a long day for the Gladers, and everyone could have done with some rest. Newt was a really good leader, now that she thought about it, but was simply under too much pressure.

"Hey, you okay?" Dusk asked. He scrunched up his nose, giving a sour expression. "No, wait, don't answer that. That's gotta be the stupidest question I've asked aloud."

"I'm just worried." Gail stated. She didn't bother elaborating. Dusk raised an eyebrow. "Yes…?" he said, prompting her to go on. Gail sighed even louder.

"Keith is missing, Dusk. What will I be worried about?" she said, giving him a look. Dusk's expression softened. "You know, Keith is probably around here somewhere. The Glade's huge. We probab-"

"That's what everyone keeps saying!" Gail exclaimed. "But I know that's not true! Keith is missing and it's all my fault!"

Dusk looked more confused now than anything. "What do you mean, you know it's not true? And how can it be your fault?" he asked. Gail felt like slapping herself. In her anger, she'd almost let her truth slip. She looked at Dusk for a moment, hesitating. She couldn't tell anyone, that had been her instructions. But Dusk seemed genuinely concerned. He put an arm on Gail's shoulder, his eyes holding worry.

"Gail, you can tell me you know. I'm good at secrets. And don't worry, even if I wasn't, I can't really tell anyone, 'cause no one really likes talking to me. You're probably the closest thing to a friend I have here, and if you need to tell me something, then I'm all ears."

Gail wanted to yell at him. She was trying to stay mad, trying to convince herself not to tell him, but Dusk simply wouldn't let her. No, this was Keith's life at stake. She took a deep breath in and solidified her façade again.

"No Dusk, there aint nothing like that. It's just that I should've been paying attention to Keith. Maybe then this wouldn't have happened." She lied. She felt terrible, but she had no choice. Dusk seemed unconvinced by her answer, but didn't push. Instead, he got up and offered Gail his hand. He pulled her up with him. "Come on. We'll look for them again after the Wake-Up." He said.

~.~.~.~.

Newt twitched uncontrollably in his hammock. He simply couldn't sleep. His thoughts were drifting from Astrid to Minho and Alby, then back to Astrid. The three people closest to him were missing, and he had no idea what to do. His skull felt like it would crack from all the stress. How desperately he wished Nick were still alive…

Nothing indicated anything bad had happened to Astrid. She could have been perfectly alright. They hadn't searched the whole Glade. Yeah, that was it. Next morning, they would scour every inch of the Glade, spread out and try to find them again. He would find his sister. He wasn't going to give up on her.

His thoughts went to Alby, Minho and Thomas. He wondered with an impending sense of terror what perils they must've been facing while he lay in his hammock. He didn't even know if they were alive or not. No, he refused to think like that. He couldn't give up hope. When the doors opened next morning, Alby, Minho and Thomas would come marching through.

His thoughts seemed almost childish. They were the fruit of the hopeful imagination of a boy who had adapted himself to being the person who told everyone everything was fine, even though it wasn't. He was th person who held them together. And he wasn't going to lose the people closest to him. Minho and Alby would escape the maze unscathed. And Astrid would be found again.

Unknown to Newt, only fifteen feet away, Gail was planning Astrid's death. When the girl was found, she was in for a nasty surprise. Gail had everything thought out. She felt loathsome, but this was the only way to save Keith. She would probably be banished like Ben had, after she killed Astrid, but at least Keith would be safe.

When Astrid returned, Gail was going to make sure she limited the other girl's time in the Glade…

~.~.~.~

 **A/N: I know! Kill me now! This chapter was very necessary, as it shows their reactions and Gail's resolve of killing Astrid hardening. The next chapter will take me a while to write, 'cause it has a lot of stuff, but I've started, so I'll try and update quickly. Thank you everyone and please favourite, follow or review! Maybe even all three if you feel nice! Any make me extremely happy!**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Hello folks! Here is the chappie you've been waiting for! Hope it's good! Also, HOLY MOTHER OF NYX I CROSSED THREE THOUSAND SHUCK VIEWS LIKE CAN Y'ALL BELIEVE IT I SURE CANT OMYHEAVENYLBEINGS!**

 **Embers to Ashes: Um, yeah, I do like writing a reaction chapter to keep up the suspense. :P Hope this is good though!**

 **Lifelong potterhead: I'm so glad you liked it! Hope you like this one too!**

 **CheetahGirl9X9: I do love cliffies, but I know how much of a pain they are to read. But they are pretty darn fun to write. XP I sure hope Aidan and Lee's revenge is small. *looks around nervously***

 **Just. Checkin. In: I'm so glad you liked my story! I've read and loved yours! Hope the chapter is good! :)**

 **Okay… *prays to every god above for a silent start to the story***

 **Aidan: *leaps out of shadows***

 **Lee: *Ties WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper's hands from behind***

 **Aidan: HAHAHAHAAHAHAHA NOW YOU CANT BANISH US HAHAHAHAAHAHAH**

 **Lee: EXACATMUNDO!**

 **Me: why oh why did I bother hoping?**

 **Lee: Right. I want to tell all our wonderful readers about the importance of Grievers. I mean, can you imagine life without them? FIGHT FOR THE EQUALITY OF GRIEVERS!**

 **Aidan: I KNOW RIGHT!**

 **Lee: They only harm the Gladers because WICKED wants them too. They are completely harmless little balls of fur if you can ignore the eight metallic legs which can skewer you and the stinger that will sting you and the disgusting bodies. HARMLESS I TELL YOU!**

 **Aidan: THEY DESERVE BETTER!**

 **Me: ….**

 **Me: Wow. I didn't know I had enough talent in me to create character as crazy as you two.**

 **Me: With thy permission, may I continue with the story?**

 **Aidan: YES, BUT EQUALITY!**

 **Me: Yes yes, equality for Griever, they deserve respect and everything. May I continue?**

 **Lee: Thou mayest.**

 **Me: Thank you. :|**

~.~.~.~.~.

Keith could hear his ragged breath. His hands were sweaty and clammy, his forehead dripping perspiration. Astrid clutched his fingers so tightly, he was sure she'd stopped the blood circulation. He looked at her with wide eyes. She was staring ahead with an expression slightly harder than stone.

"Astrid, you could go back. You don't need to do this. Please, I won't be able to forgive myself if anything happens to you." Keith begged her. She turned to him and merely responded by putting her arms around him. She rested her head on his shoulder and pulled him into a tight hug. "Astrid not leaving Keith." She said firmly.

Keith pulled away. He knew from previous experience that reasoning with Astrid when she'd made up her mind was futile. He nodded at her. So far, no idea had formed in his mind, but he was working on it. They just needed to keep Thomas and Minho safe and make it through the entire night without getting eaten or stung by Grievers. Piece of cake.

He sighed audibly as Astrid started walking forward, pulling Keith along. He became invisible, and so did Astrid. Keith because of his ability and Astrid because she was holding Keith's hand. Keith realized she was going to roam the maze corridors until they found Thomas and Minho, so he stopped her.

"Astrid, I've got a better way." He said. He closed his eyes and pictured Thomas and Minho's faces. He pictured gray walls surrounding them. He could feel his body disperse into thin air. When he materialized, they were but five feet away from Thomas and Minho, who were trying to tie off Alby to an ivy plan.

Keith had misjudged the distance, and realized his mistake too late. Thankfully, Astrid had enough sense to pull the two of them back, behind a corner. Their footfalls could be heard, and Minho turned around, obviously alerted by the noise. Keith held his breath, not daring to breathe in case it gave away his location.

"Minho? What's up with you? Help me!" Thomas urged, his attention completely on hoisting Alby up the vines. Minho narrowed his eyes at the spot where Keith was standing, and for the millionth time, Keith could find himself thanking all the lords above for his invisibility. "Nothing." Minho said, turning away, a suspicious look on his face.

Keith glanced at Astrid to find her staring intently at the two boys they were supposed to be protecting. Keith backed up behind the corner and momentarily became visible, so Astrid could see him. He mouthed the word hide to her. She nodded to show she'd understood. They pressed their back against the corner, listening hard to the conversation between Minho and Thomas. Their aim was to protect the boys, and not reveal themselves. Oh and defeat a Griever or two in the process.

Suddenly, up ahead, Keith could hear Minho gasp. He regained invisibility and turned round the corner to see the cause of Minho's cry of surprise. Once he located it, he could feel his heartbeat speed up.

A few hundred yards away, a door had opened up, revealing the vague outline of a griever. "We have to go!" Minho ordered Thomas. The new boy nodded and they applied greater strength, pulling Alby up with even greater force.

"Greenie we have to leave him!" Minho urged. "I'm not gonna leave him Minho!" Thomas shot back. Before Thomas could say anything, Minho dropped the vine they were using to haul Alby up, and bolted. Thomas, now bearing the weight it took two to carry, slipped, losing his footing. He slid under the vines, disappearing in the undergrowth. He was clever enough to keep it that way.

Keith grabbed Astrid's hand, turning her invisible. He knew what he had to do now.

The Griever too its own sweet time. Even though he was invisible, Keith stood behind the corner, watching the events in front of him with anxiety. Thomas looked terrified, but then again, who in his situation wouldn't?

Keith could see the Griever as it slowly made its way towards Thomas. The clinking of its metallic legs against the cold stone surface of the Maze gave him the shudders. Not only was the Griever the most disgusting thing Keith had ever seen, but it was also the most horrifying. The froth dripping from its mouth, its menacing skin stretched against the slime that dripped off. Keith wanted to puke at the mere sight of it, but he managed to control himself.

Astrid was as still as a statue. She gave Keith a warning look. Not now. They needed to wait for the correct moment.

Thomas was also trying his level best to stay still, but it wasn't east with the weight of Alby threatening to drag him forward. He tightened his grip on the makeshift rope of ivy, but they was a grave mistake. The rope slipped from his fingers slightly, making the faintest sound. He hoped against hope that the Griever wouldn't notice the sound, and would merely skimper off, maybe to find another target. He should've known his luck wouldn't hold.

As slow as a snail, the Griever turned to look towards Thomas. The thing couldn't see, but its hearing and smell were beyond words. It started bending down to Thomas' level, getting the stinger ready. Keith knew this was the time to act. A tiny squeeze of the hand from Astrid and he was confident of his decision. He scooped up a rock he'd eyed earlier on the ground, and hurled it at the Griever.

His plan worked perfectly. The rock hit the Griever's head, making a _bonk_ sound. The Griever turned towards Keith and Astrid, but obviously couldn't see them. Intrigued by this new target, it lost all interest in Thomas. It retracted the stinger and rotated the legs. Keith knew what this meant.

The Griever was preparing for an attack.

All Keith knew was that they needed the Griever out of Thomas' area, so that the latter would be safe. He dropped his invisibility, hiding behind the wall so that the large gray structure would block his self from Thomas' view. He lobbed another rock at the Griever, and grabbed Astrid's hand. He could have used the invisibility, but he figured it was of no use. The Griever couldn't see them anyway, and it took up too much concentration.

The two exchanged frightful glances, but they knew what to do. They turned and ran.

The footfalls alerted the Griever. It must have heard (and probably smelled) it's prey wanting to escape. It let out a shriek and lumbered after them.

Keith had never been more scared in his entire life. The fright of the first time he'd bled after a memory was nothing compared to this. Keith could hear his feet pounding against the ground. He gripped Astrid' hand tight; he didn't know what he would be doing right now if it wasn't for her. the girl may not have done much till now, but here mere presence was enough to lift Keith's hopes.

He could hear the Griever gaining on them. They weaved through the dark corridors of the gigantic maze. Keith resisting the urge of looking back, though the impulse was gnawing at his stomach. He knew the Griever was close, but he didn't dare glance back, in fear of collapsing from fright.

"Stop!" Astrid yelled, taking a sharp turn into a corner. Keith's momentum hadn't allowed him to stop, so Astrid ended up yanking him into the corner. "Astrid, are you crazy!?" Keith exclaimed. Astrid didn't have time to explain.

The Griever stopped at the entrance to the corridor in which they were, shaking slightly. It growled, it's strange mouth looking more than just terrifying. "Holy…" Keith muttered. He turned around to look for an escape route, but found, to his utter horror, that they were stuck in a dead end. To get out, they'd have to go through the exit which was currently being blocked by a Griever ready to kill them. The other option was climbing the frail looking ivy which would be supportive of the weight of a toddler, if luck was on their side. Keith glared at Astrid.

"What did you do!?" he exclaimed. He was sure she'd just led them to their deaths. He expected her to fall to her knees begging forgiveness, but she surprised him yet again. She took out a long machete from his belt and handed it to him, not taking her eyes off the Griever.

"Fight."

One simple word, yet the emotion behind it couldn't have been understated. Keith's eyes practically popped out of their sockets. "What!?"

"Fight." Astrid repeated. She looked at him, determination making her eyes go red. "Ready?"

Keith would have told her that no, he absolutely wasn't ready to go fight a monster which even the strongest Glader had fallen to, but the look in her eyes stopped him. It wasn't just determination. It was belief. She believed that they could do this. She believed that he could do this. He took a deep breath and tried to calm his heart, which threatened to hammer out of his rib cage. He stopped his shaking hands and wiped off the perspiration from his forehead. He looked at her and nodded.

The two Glader and the Griever had been at a standstill till now. The Griever probably thought the two had been defeated, having being cornered, so it was taking time to catch its breath (at least, that was what Keith assumed it was doing). I may have stood there for a little while longer, sizing up its prey, but Astrid took the opportunity to turn into a lion. She let out a loud growl and glared at the Griever, which seemed reasonably stunned at this little transformation. Keith held out his machete and readied a long dagger in the other hand. His eyes focused on the Griever, which had collected itself together by now.

He didn't even have to say anything. Together, they charged, both yelling in defiance.

The first thing Keith did was to swing at the stinger. He needed to avoid getting stung. Astrid leaped onto the Griever's back and sliced her claw across its face. Distracted, the Griever momentarily forgot about Keith, who turned invisible. Astrid was to be the distraction; Keith, the killer.

He slid down onto the floor and found himself under the Griever's disgusting belly. It didn't smell all that wonderful, but at the moment, Keith had bigger priorities than perfume. He located the stinger and grabbed the handle, avoiding the needle. He slashed his machete down, slicing off the stinger. Good. That was one aim accomplished.

He disappeared from beneath the belly and appeared at the Griever's side. He stabbed down with his weapon and found the pleasing sound of it sinking into the Griever's flesh. Astrid meanwhile was biting and clawing at the Griever's face.

She dug her claws deep into the Griever's neck and raked them down its back. The Griever roared in agony, and tried to throw Astrid off. She held on tight, her claws having had a good grip on the Griever's body. Keith took the chance to materialize in front of the Griever's face from the side, and run the machete through what he hoped was the mouth.

Now doused in the oozing black blood of the monster, the two were growing tired. The Griever, from who-knows-where, found extra strength. It ran backwards and smashed its back onto a wall, crushing Astrid. She let go of its back and fell to the floor.

Keith looked at the monster with more hate than he'd ever felt. He yelled again, which was literally the most stupid thing he could have done, but his anger had shrouded his thinking. The Griever, previously oblivious to Keith's location, now became aware of the danger. It retreated, and thrust out its metal legs. Keith dodged the first pair, rolling out of the way. He brought his hand down on a third leg and chopped of the thing. He didn't know where he'd found this talent with weapons, but he guessed it had something to do with the people who had tortured him and Astrid.

He used the fourth leg as leverage and pushed himself off it. He landed on top of the Griever's back and dug his machete down deep into the neck, almost severing it from the body. The Griever collapsed, almost dead. But Keith knew this wasn't enough. They needed one last push to tip the Griever into Death's abyss.

"Astrid!" he called. He didn't want to ask her for help when she was as injured as she was, but he knew there was no other way. Thankfully, Astrid understood.

She morphed into a hyena, going for stealth instead of brute force. She leaped forward, aiming at the neck. The Griever tried to swing at her with its legs, but Keith shoved them out of the way with his dagger that he'd taken out of his belt. Astrid jumped onto the body of the monster, landing on her distination of the neck. She gripped the half-separated head and tore it off the body.

With a mighty loud shriek, the Griever fell, defeated once and for all. Its head rolled at the side. Keith resisted the urge of throwing up. Astrid turned back to a human and gripped his shoulder, looking a little green herself. "Come on." Keith said, his voice sounding slightly hoarse. He turned visible and examined Astrid, but found that her injuries weren't as bad as he'd previously thought them to be. Sure, she was battered and exhausted, but so was he. Nevertheless, he offered to support her, slinging one arm around his shoulders. Astrid pulled it back, using only his hand for support.

"Astrid, you're hurt." Keith told her. She shook her head. "Astrid fine. Keith and Astrid escape monster." She argued. He glanced back at the decapitated body of the Griever and nodded at Astrid. "Yeah, we needa go."

Slowly, carefully, they made their way out of the maze corridor. The night was young and they still had several hours ahead of them. Who knew how many perils lay in wait?

But for the moment, Keith simply wanted to savour the fact that they were alive. They'd killed a Griever and managed to stay alive in the process. He couldn't ask for more.

Little did they know of what lay in wait as the night progressed…

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Aw, man, I love cliffhangers. I know you guys probably don't though XP. So, yeah, um, Hope you guys liked the chapter! I'd been looking forward to writing this! :)))**

 **Please review, follow,favourite, or all three if you feel my story deserves it! It makes me so happy!**

 **A fellow Glader**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Hey y'all! I'm really tired, so this Author's note will be very short. Sorry if the chapter is short, but I was looking forward to writing this. Hope you guys like it! :)**

 **To lifelong potyerhead: Thank you so much! I'm so glad for your supportive reviews!.I hope you like this chappie!**

 **to Embers to Ashes: Well, they ARE Aidan and Lee. I have a feeling that if we asked them,we'd get a 5000 word long essay and never get to the story. And thank you so muchA Hope you like this too!**

 **To iristmr: OHMYGOSH your review made me feel so good! I appreciate long reviews, or really, any reviews, and your motivated me so much! I simply cannot thank you enough for it! Hope this is good too! :)**

 **To CheetahGirl9X9: Haha, slushie mania! I hope this chappie is good too. Oh and you got it half-correct. The wizard is for Harry Potter, the Glader is for Maze runner, the Demigod though, is for Percy Jackson, and the Gatekeeper is for Power of Five. Hope you like the chapter! :)**

 **To NorangeCat: Thank you! Hope you like this too! :)**

 **Okay...**

 **Me: *looks around nervously***

 **Adian: dont worry, we're excoted for the story too!**

 **Lee: Yeah! Just tell us what happens!**

 **Me: alright then, read on!**

~,.~.~.

"Astrid, one seriously can't tell by looking at you how heavy you are." Keith complained for the umpteenth time. Astrid responded by merely giggling, which caused Keith to shoot her a look of confusion and amusement. How she could giggle in their situation, he didn't know. But then again, this was Astrid. And anything was possible with her.

"Keethee funny!" Astrid said, throwing her head back. Her leg had gotten slightly injured while fighting the Griever, which led to Keith supporting her by her arm. She wasn't all that heavy, but every time Keith protested bout her weight, it would bring on laughter from her, so Keith kept saying it. For some reason, he had a feeling that Astrid was the only thing keeping him from going completely insane.

He knew by the night sky that the time was something around two 'o' clock at night. He had no idea how Thomas and Minho were faring; he could only pray for their safety. He and Astrid had come into the maze to protect the two boys, but had ended up losing them in the labyrinth of haunting corridors.

Astrid gently extricated Keith's arm from around herself, and shook her leg. She bent down a little, whilst holding her leg up at an oblique angle. "Leg, are you okay?" she asked. She moved the foot up and down, and turned to Keith, beaming. "Leg says it's okay! Astrid walking by herself!" she declared.

Keith nodded thoughtfully. "Ahh." He said, "Your leg told you it's okay? Well then, we cannot disobey the mighty order of the leg, can we?" He simply couldn't hold back a smile as Astrid nodded her head, her smile as bright as pearls in the darkness of the night. For a moment, Keith forgot the situation they were in. He forgot the maze. He forgot their worries. But of course, that didn't last all that long.

The serene moment was shattered by an ear-splitting scream.

Keith's eyes widened. "That's Thomas!" He cried, looking at Astrid, who seemed equally alarmed. "Come on!"

He grabbed her arm, turning invisible. He tried to use his previous tactic of simply appearing wherever Thomas and Minho were, but for some reason, he felt obliged not to do so. Some untold instinct told him it wouldn't work. He decided to go with his gut feeling.

"This way!" He yelled back, as they veered towards a corner. At the last moment, Keith remembered to turn on his invisibility, as they ran straight into the corridor of the maze in which Thomas and Minho stood.

Surrounded by Grievers.

At least three monsters circled their friends. Minho had a dagger out, and Thomas simply looked ready to pass out from fright. The Grievers were sizing up their prey, waiting for one of the two boys to make the first move.

Keith took in their surroundings. He knew they didn't have much time. A little to the left of their current position, he could see the Cliff drop off into the endless void that kept everyone guessing of its bottom. An idea tugged at the back of his head, but he simply couldn't place it. They needed to draw the Griever's attention towards themselves and away from Thomas and Minho, but they couldn't reveal themselves to the boys. It was an impossible task.

The two were still invisible, which gave them some leverage. Keith was about to blindly charge into battle, letting his instinct get the better of him, when Thomas saved him from doing what could've been the most stupid thing he'd done yet.

"Minho, we can use the Cliff! The first two went over, maybe we can trick these things too!" The boy said aside to his friend. The Keeper of Runners looked at Thomas skeptically.

Before he could say anything, the one of the Grievers lost their patience. It ran towards the boys, metal arms rotating in all its glory. Minho threw his dagger at it, which sank into the flesh of its head. The other two Grievers, if steady till now, were riled up by this. They were about to charge their victim, when Keith finally cracked.

He threw a small knife at the first of the two, successfully buying its attention. The second turned with its accomplice towards the new threat. They had the attention of the first two. All they needed to do now was get Minho and Thomas out of there.

Unfortunately, while they did manage to attract the attention of the two Grievers, the third was still focused on the other two boys. It shrieked and leapt towards them. Minho and Thomas, oblivious to Keith's presence, did the natural thing.

They bolted.

They didn't even look back, no thought crossing their minds. They simply ran. The third Griever disappeared behind them into the branching corridor of the maze. Keith screamed in frustration. Their whole point of doing this was to save Minho and Thomas, and now he'd lost them for a second time.

"Keith!" Astrid's voice alerted him. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Astrid was hiding behind the corner, waiting for her cue. Keith looked at the two Grievers in front of him, anger lighting up his eyes. He didn't risk his goddamn life just to be killed by these things.

"You wanna fight me?"He growled. He knew, of course, that the Grievers could neither see nor understand him, but he wanted his frustration out of his system. He drew his machete in one hand, holding a long dagger in the other. He bared his teeth, making himself visible. He'd only needed the invisibility to escape Thomas and Minho's eyes. It was of no use now.

A plan had started formulating itself in his mind, but he needed to act fast.

He roared in rage and charged.

He smacked the first volley of legs away, coming up with his machete embedded within the leg of the first Griever. From behind, he could hear the second Griever advancing on him, but he was occupied at the moment.

Thankfully, Astrid took this as her cue. She leapt out of the shadows, turning into a lion in mid-air. She pounced on the Griever's back, flattening it. Keith got to work. He yanked his machete out of the flesh and sprinted backwards. If he knew what he was doing, this wouldn't be too hard.

He'd estimated that the Griever's head was its chink. If he could hit the head, if not kill, it would momentarily put the Griever out of action. He found himself running at full speed towards the end of the corridor, the Griever hot in his pursuit. He readied his weapon.

Just as the two neared the end of the corridor, Keith disappeared from where he was. He materialized on top of the Griever's head and drove his weapon down into the soft flesh of the monster's head. Letting out a huge shriek, the Griever collapsed. Keith knew that it wasn't dead, but he'd bought himself some time.

He disappeared once more, appearing where Astrid was currently battling the second Griever with brute force, in which she was easily being overpowered. "Astrid look out!" Keith warned, as the Griever's stinger aimed itself for Astrid's head. Astrid looked up not a moment too soon, and jumped off the Griever's back, rolling out of harm's way. Well, almost.

The Cliff loomed behind the Griever as it backed Keith and Astrid to a wall. He could feel his back scrape against the cold stone surface of the maze walls. His clothes clung to his body in sweat; his hair stuck up all over his head. He was bleeding everywhere from various cuts, but it wasn't anything major.

"Astrid, Trojan Horse." He muttered under his breath. He didn't know what Astrid had done, but the Griever was slightly sluggish. Astrid looked up at him with wide eyes. "You serious?" she asked.

Keith nodded. "It's the only way. You remember it, I assume?" This earned him a nod from the girl. He blew his hair out of his face. His eyes fixed themselves on the Grieve, malice running through its gaze. He was going to defeat this thing.

"NOW!" He yelled, rushing forward, brandishing his weapons. He slashed at the first leg, successfully cutting the stinger off. He used the second leg as leverage and propelled himself onto the back of the beast. The Greiver shook violently, but Keith latched his fingers onto the beginnings of the legs. It was extremely difficult, keeping himself from falling off whilst holding onto his weapons. With strain, he managed to let go with one hand, and drive the machete through the Griever's back.

As he'd hoped, the Griever let out an ear-splitting shriek. This was Astrid's opportunity, and she wasted no time. She jumped, turning into a hummingbird in mid-leap. The small animal flew through the Griever's mouth, into its body.

Keith was tempted to throw up, but he knew this was the only way. He jumped off the Griever's back and rolled away. He brought his head up, waiting for Astrid to do her job.

Suddenly, from everywhere on the Griever's head, spikes started coming out of the flesh, skewering it from inside. The Griever didn't even have time to yelled. It's head exploded into nothingness, and Astid leapt out, now in the form of a large porcupine. She'd changed form inside the Griever, and the spines had killed the Griever from inside.

But their victory was short-lived. They barely had time to celebrate. They may have defeated one Griever, but the second had just now finished recovering from Keith's attack.

Oblivious to the development, the two were trying their best to collect their wits. The Griever cranked itself up, focusing its senses on its targets. Without a warning yell, it bounded towards them.

Keith saw the Griever a moment too late. In that flash, he knew it was too late for hi to attack. His brain simply froze. All he knew was that he needed to keep Astrid safe. Astrid was standing a metre from the drop-off of the cliff. And the Griever was coming straight at her.

Without giving it a second thought, Keith lunged forward, yanking Astrid back. The girl was confused for only a moment, before the true horror of it all crashed down on her. The Griever pummeled straight into Keith, and he lost his balance by the sheer force of the Griever's weight.

Keith and the Griever plunged into the endless darkness of the Cliff, grappelling with the other to try and reach the edge. Keith reached for the edge, but his hand was yanked back by the Griever, who apparently wouldn't let Keith live while it was defeated.

Astrid's scream for keith rang through the maze, as the boy and the monster disspeared into the never-ending abyss.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I know. I'm evil. Well, review, fav, follow, and all the nice stuff! Love to hear from y'all! And do forgive me for the cliffie, I cant resist a bit of drama. *ducks the shoes thrown everywhere* See you guys next time! :)))**

 **A fellow Glader**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Well, hello there again! I'm back with chapter 19 of this story, but before I begin the chapter, there** **are a few things I need to address. So firstly-**

 **Lee: *cocks gun to WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper's head***

 **Lee: If you don't get to the story immediately, I swear Imma pull the damn trigger.**

 **Aidan: Exactly. Get to the shuck story. You left us with a mighty terrible cliffie, and we wanna read.**

 **Me: But I have so many things to discuss!**

 **Lee: I'm putting my finger on the trigger…**

 **Me: alright alright, sheesh! O.o**

~.~.~.~.

Astrid's scream reverberated inside Keith's skull as he plummeted down into what seemed to be eternal darkness. The Griever still had a metallic leg wrapped around Keith's abdomen. Keith struggled and gasped for air; the Griever seemed to be squeezing the very life out of him. The two were in a strange position. Keith on top of the Griever, with the monster's legs flailing about as it tried to unsuccessfully stop their fall.

Keith yelled in panic. He was going to die. Very soon. After all the trouble he'd gone through to keep himself and Astrid alive, he was going to end up as a grease spot on some surface. He thrashed wildly, the wind blowing his hair all over his face. They had been falling for mere seconds; it felt like hours. Keith didn't know how long this void extended, but he hoped bloody well it was long. He needed the time.

He gritted his teeth, which was difficult to do when one was falling straight down. The Griever apparently decided to give it a last fight. It brought up a leg from behind Keith and scratched Keith's stomach. Keith howled in agony, but the gash wasn't too deep. He brought an elbow up and slammed it into the Griever's head. If only he could detach himself from the Griever, everything would be good.

He kicked the legs of the Griever in a futile attempt at trying to free himself. The Griever seemed to be intent on never letting Keith go. Keith could feel the sharp metallic point of another leg pierce his shoulder, and he shut his eyes, red spots decorating the darkness that now surrounded him. He needed to get out. And he needed to get out now.

With a lot of effort, he managed to sneak the machete into his hand. He was practically lying on top of the Griever as they fell, the huge bulbous belly slimy against Keith's back. Keith could feel his screams rip his throat raw, but in a situation like his, who wouldn't have panicked?

Keith could feel his breathing become ragged. He was losing it; any moment he would completely snap. If he didn't go ker-splat on the ground first. He decided the risk was worth it. He separated his legs, the green flesh of the Griever peeking out from between them. He fingered a small knife in his hands, and drove it back, beside his head, into what he prayed was the Griever's noggin. His attempt was successful, as the leg around his stomach slightly loosened, accompanied by the Griever's ear-splitting shriek. Keith yelled in defiance and sat up as best as he could. Some instinct told him that his death was mere seconds away. He brought his hand up, raising the machete high. He stabbed downward as hard as he possibly could between his legs, the weapon sinking into the Griever's flesh.

Letting out a cry of agony, the Griever let go of Keith, who could feel his spirit's soar. He'd done it!

He pulled the machete out of the Griever with a sickening thock sound, and didn't even glance back as the Griever's body pulled away from his own. With a sneer, Keith disappeared mid-fall.

He appeared, much to his surprise, on top of the walls in the maze. The gigantic thing spread out below him. He fell to his knees, hard. He could hear his irregular breathing. He couldn't believe how close that had been. He had almost been able to feel Death's icy fingers as they groped for his very being, coaxing him into giving in. He'd never been so close to dying.

For a moment, he just sat there, soaking in the fact that he was still alive. He had a nagging sensation at the back of his head, and he looked down, just for the sake of appeasing his messed-up brain. Below, on the maze floor, Astrid was kneeling at the edge of the cliff, bent over, her body shaking. Keith could hear her sobs from all the way up on the top. She was screaming his name over and over again, and his heart felt like it was being smashed by a large hammer.

He felt torn. A part of him wanted to go comfort Astrid, tell her that he was still alive. But the tiny part of his brain not engulfed in fear and despair reminded him of their purpose of coming into the maze. They needed to save Thomas and Minho. The third Griever had run after the two boys, and Keith could only guess what they were doing.

Throwing a rock onto his emotions, Keith materialized on top of another wall, away from Astrid. He would go back to her later. He needed to save the two boys first. And Astrid didn't seem to be in a state of helping all that much. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his screaming nerves and instincts which told him to simply bolt and curl up in his soft hammock back in the safe clutches of the Glade.

His eyes scanned the maze floor for any sign of activity. He found nothing. He disappeared and materialized on top of another wall, this one out of the vision sphere of the first. He looked at every inch of the maze, trying desperately to locate the two boys.

There!

Keith wanted to personally slap Thomas. The chap may have been a genius, but he was incredibly stupid for taking a risk like such. Keith absorbed their situation and in a flash, understood their plan. Minho was waiting at the end of a corridor, whch was closing. Thomas was standing at the other end, yelling at something else, simply refusing to budge as the walls cut off his escape. The Griever appeared out of the corner, Thomas took off down the closing corridor.

Keith understood what Thomas was trying to do. He was trying to bait the Griever into running into a closing corridor, so that the monster would be squished between the closing walls. Unfortunately, Keith could see a big flaw in his plan. In no time, the Griever would be on top of Thomas; he wouldn't be able to escpae. Both of them would be squished between the walls.

Keith's plan was crazy, and it was so stupid, it made Thomas' plan look thought-out. But at the moment, it was all he could think of. He almost laughed. If only the other Glader knew what they'd done in this one night itself. He turned invisible; his whole plan would go down the drain if the bys saw him.

Taking another deep breath, Keith disappeared from his safe position, machete raised high. He appeared not standing on solid ground, but in mid-air. He was just above the Griever as the beast lunged forward to grab Thomas. He didn't yell, simply fell through the air. His machete pierced the Griever's skin as he brought the weapon down hard on it. It let out a mighty shriek, but Thomas and Minho paid no attention. Keith could hear Minho screaming Thomas' name.

He watched as the boy made it through just in time. He could feel the walls moving in on himself, as the Griever, being larger, was stuck between the two massive structures. It tried to move and counter Keith, but unfortunately, the walls wouldn't allow the poor thing to do so. Keith laughed for real this time, which creeped the jimmies out of him. He bent down, next to the Griever's head. "You poor little thing. Too sad it didn't work out for you, eh?" he whispered. He let out a whoop as he disappeared once more, just as they walls closed in on the Griever.

This time, he appeared again on solid ground.

He found himself at the place where he'd almost fallen to his death; the cliff edge. About three meters in front of him, Astrid was still violently sobbing, though she had stopped yelling. He leaned against the wall opposite the cliff drop-off, and sighed. The night had taken its toll on him. He wanted to curl up into a ball and simply sleep for twenty-four hours straight. Unfortunately, there was a certain someone who he needed to tell that he was still alive, first.

He smirked. "Now now Astrid, what would be the reason for you sobbing so?" He said. Astrid's cries stopped abruptly, and she looked up from her hands, straight ahead of her. She slowly turned around, her eyes coming to meet Keith's, as they grew wide. She let out a strangled gasp of disbelief; Keith honestly didn't blame her.

She leapt up from where she sat and barreled forward. "Bad Keethee!" She yelled, as she brought her hand up to slap Keith across the face. "OW!" Keith exclaimed, rubbing the sore spot where she'd slapped him.

"Astrid was scared!" she said, tears flowing down her cheeks once more. Keith grinned. "Yeah, well, I'm alive, so there's really no need to-"

Astrid cut him off with another punch, this time to the arm. "You gave me a heart attack! Astrid though Keethee was dead! Bad Keethee! Bad bad bad!" She exclaimed. She pounded her fist against Keith's shoulder, but Keith simply laughed. He pulled her into a hug as she sobbed into his shoulders.

"Alright. I'm sorry okay? But I had to go after Thomas and Minho first." He said softly, patting Astrid's back as she cried.

"Don't ever do that again…" The girl said in a small voice. Keith closed his eyes. "I'll try my best your majesty." He said. Even though he'd said it with obvious sarcasm, Keith was surprised at how much Astrid truly cared for him. He meant it. He was going to try and stay alive, not that he'd prefer the other option, of course.

The two stayed there for a while, Astrid's sobs ceasing slowly. Once they'd stopped completely, Keith pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes were still red, but she seemed to have gotten herself together. "You okay now?" Keith asked. Astrid nodded.

"Good. There's about an hour left until the doors open; it's almost dawn. Thomas and Minho shouldn't run into any more trouble. We need to get back to the Glade." He said.

Oh no, he thought. The Glade. What was he going to tell them? How in the world could he possibly explain their absence for an entire night? He couldn't admit they were in the maze, no one had seen them come out. Admitting anything would mean revealing their abilities. But they couldn't very well say they hadn't been doing anything at all; the two of them were covered in injuries and bleeding profusely. Keith took off his top shirt, which was stained with some blobs of Griever blood. The T-shirt he wore underneath was relatively deprived of the black substance; it was only stained with his own blood. Astrid's clothes had somehow managed to remain unaffected by the Griever blood, but were still red from her own.

Keith sighed. He didn't have all that long. An idea started forming itself in his mind, but it was risky. There was a high chance that a clever Glader might see through it. He took Astrid's hand in his own.

"We need to get back to the Glade." He said simply. Astrid nodded again, eyes staring off into space. He raised an eyebrow at her, but at the moment, she seemed transfixed on a little spot in the sky, which held nothing extraordinary, as far as Keith could see. Her fluctuating normalcy made Keith's head spin, but he decided to let it be. He'd had enough for one night.

He gripped her hand tightly. He closed his eyes and disappeared from his place.

When he opened them, he was standing in the forest of the Glade, at the deadheads. The Glade was deathly still, and it felt as though the whole place itself was holding its breath, waiting to see if Thomas and Minho would make it. He smiled. He knew something the others didn't.

He picked up a large rock off the ground and turned to Astrid, who was currently playing with a leaf on a spruce tree. He hated his plan, but it was the only thing he could think of. "Hey, Astrid." He called. She turned to him, her face blank. He took one of her hands, and before she could protest, raked her fingernails across his own cheek. Her eyes widened as she hastily pulled her hand away.

"Why did you do that!?" She shrieked. Keith gave her an apologetic look.

"Look, I'm sorry, but there really is no other way. I'm doing this for our won good, okay? Don't kill me." He apologized. Once again, before Astrid could say anything, he brought down the rock hard onto her temple. Her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she collapsed in a heap.

Keith felt extremely guilty for this, but it would pay off. He had a plan after all. Wincing slightly as he looked at Astrid's unconscious form, he brought the rock up again. Shutting his eyes tight, he rammed the rock into his own skull.

He could feel his vision turn red. He smiled drowsily as he found himself successful on his first attempt. He started falling backwards, his vision already darkening. He hit the ground and the jolt sent another jab of pain through him. As his eyes closed, he found himself praying they were found soon.

The darkness pulled him in.

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: There. A nice, kinda-sorta not cliffie ending for you guys. Hehe. I'm so nice, aren't I 0:-) ? I didn't let Keith fall to his death. I mean, how can I kill him before he gets to suffer all the torture I have in store for him? And Astrid, for that matter? *maniacal evil laughter echoes***

 **Right. Sorry. So, what I wanted to say was that as pointed out by a lot of you, the last chapter was posted twice. I really don't know how that happened, but it did. My computer does weird stuff. My sincere apologies. Also, many of you reviewed for chapter 19, so that means that according to the rules of this site, you cant review chapter 19 again. If you really want to review, leave the review for 19 under chapter 18.**

 **And that gets me to the third topic. OH MY HOLY GALAXIES 56 REVIEWS LIKE IMMA GO CRAY-CRAY! YEASSSSSS! AND OVER 4000 VIEWS! I cannot thank you guys enough for all your support. This fic holds a special place in my heart, like all my stories, and I almost snapped out of happiness when I saw 9 reviews for the previous chapter.**

 **So, yeah. If you wanna review this chappie and you've already reviewd 19, leave it under 18. I'm honestly gonna go crazy from happiness. You guys are AWESOME!**

 **Reply time! (you didn't think I was gonna leave this, did ya? ;) )**

 **To iristmr: Noooo, don't cry! See? Keith's fine (kinda)! And I agree, poor Astrid. But then again, I do simply love these two and thus will have a lot of ahh…** _ **surprises**_ **in store for them. Heehee. :) Hope you enjoyed the chapter though!**

 **To SunsetsInTheMaze: I didn't actually. Stupid computer. Does nonsensical things all the dam time. Hope this chapter was good!**

 **To lifelong potterhead: I'm so happy you liked it! I was a little worried that I might not have written the action so well, but thanks for the compliment! Made me feel loads better! :)))**

 **To NorangeKat722: Sorry 'bout the repeat. Really, I am. And thanks for the review! Keith's death would have added some emotion, wouldn't it? *thoughtful look* hmmm… Hope its fine by you that he's alive! ;) Also, hope this chapter was good! :)**

 **To CheetahGirl9X9: first of all, congratulations! You guessed absolutely perfectly! I did in fact have a nice day after seeing all the wonderful reviews! And don't worry, it's perfectly fine that you couldn't guess it, but I must say, if you haven't read Percy Jackson and Power of Five, you should. They are amazing and I really don't know what I would be without these four series. Hehe. Hope you enjoyed the chappie and thank you so much for the review! :)))**

 **To Embers to Ashes: Omg, your review made me feel so honored! I've had that happen to me for other stories, but didn't think mine would bring on a reaction like this. Thank you so much for all your support! And I hope the update wasn't too late; I was indeed waiting eagerly to post this chapter. Hehe. Hope you liked it!**

 **Right then! Review, fav, follow and al the awesome stuff! The reviews make me immensely happy and motivate me SO MUCH! And I cant deny going slightly crazy when I see the number of favs and follows increasing! Hope the chapter was good! See y'all next time! #FeelingSoHonored #Hahahaha #I'veGoneLoopy #ShutUpMe**

 **#Hehe**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating in forever! Really! I was a tad busy with my other story, which is a Hunger Games SYOT. So… yeah. Sorry. :)**

 **Lee: Wow. Just wow. I was running around your head, and I saw what you'd planned for the chapter.**

 **Aidan: I know, right? And then this person gets angry whilst reading cliffhangers. Like, what do you call your endings?**

 **Me: Well… um… Uhhh….**

 **Aidan: Don't answer that.**

 **Me: Hey, I try to be nice with the updates!**

 **Lee: -.-**

 **Me: Geez, I must be the sole author on this planet who gets reprimanded by their own characters. O.o.**

 **Aidan: WILL YOU GET ON WITH THE STORY!?**

 **Me: Yeah, yeah, fine! Sheesh!**

~.~.~.~.

Dusk woke to the sunlight burning through his eyelids. He groaned and opened his eyes. He was greeted by the calm tranquil morning of the Glade, but something was off. It wasn't until the truth of the situation came crashing down on him that he realized what it was.

If Minho and Thomas were still alive, they'd get to know today.

He fell out of his hammock in an attempt to wake up fully. Embarrassed, he brushed off the dirt from his jacket and blew the hair out of his face. He turned to the sleeping girl who lay in the cot beside him. Gail seemed so peaceful whilst she was in the world of dreams. She had a tiny smile on her face, as though she were dreaming about all things nice. She'd sworn the previous night that she wouldn't sleep, but fatigue must have gotten the better of her.

Her eye-patch was crooked, which revealed the nasty scar that ran from the middle of her forehead to just beside the corner of her lip, cutting over her left eye. Dusk reached out and straightened it. Gail gasped awake and almost fell off her hammock, like Dusk had. She caught the sides and managed to steady herself, but this brought on a laugh from Dusk. A small one, really, but it was more than he'd done in a long time.

"Come on Gail. We need to get to the doors. They'll open anytime now." He said. Gail looked at him, her eye wide, as though the events of the previous day had just come crashing down on her. "Keith…" she managed. Dusk gave her a sad look. "I know. We'll look for them after the doors open, how about? We need to see if Minho and Thomas are alive or not."

Gail seemed reluctant, but she got off her hammock nonetheless. The duo started walking towards the West Doors, Gail muttering under her breath. As they got there, they saw that they weren't the only ones. Not by a long shot. Almost every Glader had assembled himself near the door, Newt and Chuck standing right in front. Gail pushed through the crowd and came to a standstill beside Newt. She gently put an arm on his shoulder, and he started, jumping at her very sight. Taking in her worried face, he quickly turned back to the doors, a more normal expression on his features.

"The doors'll open just about now." He said simply. Gail gave his shoulder a squeeze, and he shut his eyes tight. She could feel the worry coursing through his body. His hands were shaking at his sides, and he constantly bit his lip. He was clearly trying to keep it together for the sake of the rest of the Gladers, and also clearly going out of his mind with worry for his best friends.

A loud, defeaning noise was enough to take Gail's attention away from Newt. The doors slowly began to crank open, opening with them a large hole filled with worry, stress and anger in Gail's heart. She momentarily forgot how to breathe, as the initial corridor of the maze became visible. She could almost feel her heart threatening to pound out of her body altogether. Newt tensed up beside her as the corridor came into full view.

Nothing.

They saw nothing. The walls were just as bland and gray as ever; the vines and ivy were a sickly green, holding none of the beauty Gail saw in the trees of the Glade. But they saw nothing of their friends. Gail's hand hadn't left Newt's shoulder, and when she looked at him, she didn't regret it.

He seemed to be falling apart, bit by bit. His brown eyes were a little crazy, searching every inch of the corridor for some sign of the boys. Gail let out the breath she'd been holding in.

"I'm so sorry Newt…" she managed. Her voice cracked the slightest at his name. Newt's hands went slack, as he faced the reality of the situation.

Suddenly, beside him, Chuck's face lit up. "THERE!" He yelled so loudly, a few Gladers backed away. Gail's head snapped up to where Chuck was pointing and she could feel every emotion in the whole of her heart drain away.

Thomas and Minho were lumbering towards the Glade from the far end of the corridor, battered, supporting te weight of who could only be Alby, but alive all the same.

The emotion on Newt's face couldn't be described. He seemed to be at a loss of words. It was almost as though he didn't know whether to laugh, rejoice, or just be surprised. He decided to act rationally, which was probably the wisest choice.

"Let's go!" He ordered the others. A few boys ran into the maze and took Alby from Minho and Thomas' shoulders. The boys were helped into the Glade and dropped onto the grass. A string of questions burst out from the mouths of every Glader present (with the possible exception of Dusk; the chap never seemed to speak in a crowd). Newt's voiced shushed them all.

"OI!" he yelled, loud and clear enough for everyone to hear, "SHUT THE HELL UP! These two have just spent an entire night in the buggin' maze for shuck's sake. Clint, Jeff, get them to the bloody med-hut. Fix 'em up. We'll ask them how they managed to do what was till yesterday considered impossible when they can talk."

Clint and Jeff hurried forward and each hoisting a boy, sped off in the direction of the med-hut. Newt the turned to the remainder of the Glader. "Alright. I'm saying this once, and only once. Spread out and check everything. Keith and Astrid must be around the Glade. They can't bloody disappear, and no one saw them go into the maze. Search every darn leaf in the forest if you have to, but find them. I don't care if it takes us the entire bloody day. Find. Them." he said, his voice getting harder with every word. By the end, he was gritting his teeth so hard, Gail thought he would crack them. The Gladers fell into steps, marching away in groups until the only ones left were Newt, Dusk and Gail.

Newt turned to the other boy and gave him a confused stare. "Dusk, you know mate, the last time I heard you open your mouth was about two years ago." He said. Dusk smirked, but there was no humor in it. "You mean the day my two best friends lost their lives?" He said bitterly.

Newt seemed a little shocked by this response, but Gail cut in. "Hey, can we have the chit-chat later? Look here Newt, I trust these Gladers and all, but I don't think I can rest until I start looking for the two myself." She said. Newt paused for a moment, taking in her words. He slowly nodded.

"Fine. I'll come with you. Dusk…" he trailed off, looking in Dusk's direction, who in turn looked at Gail, as though asking for permission. Gail almost laughed. "Yes Dusk. You can come too." She said with the tiniest hint of a smirk on her face. Then, as Keith's face flashed in front of her eyes, the smirk quickly disappeared. She turned on her heels and started jogging towards the forest. She could hear the boys' hurried footsteps behind her. As they caught up to her, she saw Newt give her a look.

"Why the forest?" he asked. She shrugged, her feet thudding on the ground. "It's the mist logical option. It's large and can easily hide people." She answered. She glanced sideways towards Dusk, and saw him staring ahead with a hard expression, mouth shut in a tight line.

As the trio entered the forest line, Gail could feel her heartbeat quicken. She heard footsteps shuffling to her right somewhere and assumed it was some other Glader, looking for the two lost kids. She slowly forged ahead, eyes peeled, in case some sign of the two popped up.

After the longest trudge of about an hour, Gail could feel her heart slowly crumbling into pieces. Her feet felt like they were melting inside her shoes. Her eyes hurt from constantly darting from one tree to another, one section of the forest to another, in the _hope_ that she should find her brother. Gail was about to turn away from the place itself, having given up the thought that Keith and Astrid could be here, when Dusk grabbed her arm, pulling her to a stop. Newt stopped a few feet ahead and looked back to see reason the other two had stopped running.

Dusk was staring off to a side, his brown eyes wide with shock. His mouth was agape; he seemed to have stopped breathing. Gail followed his gaze and found the cause of his state.

Keith and Astrid lay on the ground, not ten feet from them, covered in blood. Their clothes were ripped and they seemed to be unconscious. At least, Gail hoped that they were only unconscious.

Newt would later deny what happened then. He couldn't help himself. Seeing his sister in her terrifying state was simply too much. He screamed. It was a high-pitched, feminine scream which caused Dusk to look at him with wider eyes. He didn't really care, though. He ran forward, Gail not all that far behind. He slid to a stop beside Astrid and cradled her head in his lap. On her forehead, a large welp was forming. She must've been knocked out by someone. She had bruises and wounds everywhere, and her shirt was soaked in her blood.

"Oh my god…" Gail squeaked out, holding Keith in a similar manner. Newt pressed his index and middle fingers to Astrid's wrist, checking for a pulse. He felt himself let go of a breath when he found one. Slowly, he forced himself to relax. Panicking was not going to help them.

Dusk was frozen to his spot. This scene brought on bad memories. The way Gail and Newt held their siblings, it reminded him only too much of the way he'd held Cole's mutilated body. He found himself gritting his teeth, his pulse quickening.

"Dusk, help us!" Gail's voice shook him out of his stupor. He took a moment, but rushed forward all the same. Newt had slung one arm under Astrid's knees, one under her shoulder. He lifted her up, giving a small grunt. Keith, on the other hand, was a tad too heavy for Gail to carry. The younger boy may have been thin, but he was almost as tall as Dusk, which was pretty tall. He put one of Keith's arms around his shoulders and watched Gail do the same.

Together, they started dragging the kids towards the Glade.

~.~.~.~.

Keith opened his eyes to see Chuck's worried face leaning over him. A smile found its way through his features and he pumped his fists in the air. "He's AWAKE!" he yelled. Keith groaned and tried to sit up. Gail swooped forward and put her hand on his chest.

"Whoa there genius." she said, "Careful." Ignoring his sister's warning, Keith sat up and leaned against the bed-rest. He held his head, pretending to be in innocent pain (which wasn't all that hard). He hoped to every god above that his plan worked successfully.

"What happened? I feel like I've been kicked in the face by a Griever." He said. He almost laughed. What he'd said had been freakishly close to the truth. If only the Gladers knew what had really happened. However, he kept a confused expression on his face, looking about as though he didn't know what was going on.

"Keith, you were missing the whole of last night. We found you today, with Astrid, in the forest. You guys looked terrible, covered with blood and clothes ripped up." Gail said, putting an arm on his shoulder. She had on a trademark 'concerned big sibling' look. Keith resisted from taking a deep breath. This was it. If he could play this well, he and Astrid would be saved.

"Oh god…" he said, burying his face in his hands. "Oh my gods…"

"What happened? You remember something, kid?" He heard Newt's accented voice asking him, tinged with curiosity. He looked up with frightened eyes. "It would be a feat to forget it, I assure you." He said. He glanced sideways to see Astrid sleeping on a bed, her forehead bandaged. She was dressed in white clothes similar to those Keith was wearing. He shook his head.

"Guys, I don't know what happened to her, but Astrid… she just…" Keith forced his voice to break. He looked down. Partly because it helped him play the part, partly because he felt so utterly guilt for this. "What did she do?" Gail asked softly.

"She attacked me."

One could have heard a pin drop in the room at Keith's statement. The disbelief rippled through the faces of everyone present. Dusk was staring at the younger boy wide-eyed; Newt's jaw was hanging open. Minho and Thomas, who were both bandaged up, seemed shell-shocked. Chuck was covering his mouth, his chest raised from a sharp intake of breath. Gail, on the other hand, was seething with fury.

"What did she do, Keith?" She repeated through gritted teeth. Keith hesitated for a moment. This hadn't been part of his plan. He'd wanted the people to feel sympathetic towards him and understanding towards Astrid. He'd thought everyone would let her go, seeing her state of mind. He hadn't expected a reaction like this from Gail.

Nevertheless, anger was better than being banished. "Start from the beginning, would ya'?" Minho said, being the only one to have recovered. "It's a long story." Keith said. Minho crossed his arms. "We got time."

"Well," Keith started, "It happened when the doors closed. I saw Astrid run towards the map room, and was slightly worried for her. Seeing Minho and Thomas get trapped in the maze seemed to have taken its toll on her. So I followed her there, but when I reached there, she pushed me out of the way and ran out, into the forest." Keith paused, letting this much sink in.

"I followed her in, not having wanted for her to do something that could hurt herself. Suddenly, she collapsed in front of me and started heaving. When I reached her, I realized this was another one of her episodes." He said. Everyone's expression, save Gail's, turned into one of understanding.

"She was spewing blood and muttering deranged things. I tried to help her back to the Glade,when she completely snapped. She came at me with a huge machete and a dagger, which she must've found in the map room. Seeing no other choice, I managed to take the machete from her."

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. "Guys, fighting her was the hardest thing I'd ever done. After a while, she simply stopped. She threw down her weapon and started wailing, sobbing, shrieking like an animal."

He sighed, having finished his statement. "How'd she end up with that huge potato on her forehead?" Minho interjected. Keith couldn't find it within him to laugh at Minho's description of Astrid's wound. "I did what I had to do." he said.

"I don't remember anything after that. I must've passed out from exhaustion. I woke up to see you guys, in this room." He said. He took in another shaky breath. "Guys, please, don't blame Astrid. She didn't mean any of it. She was having a fit, and she thought I was one of the people who had tortured her. She kept calling me that. I know this must be hard to believe, but I'm sure she didn't do it on purpose." He figured this was just about enough to bring on the sympathy for Astrid. He scanned the faces of the people present. Newt looked like someone had poked him between the eyes, Chuck was so surprised he began to slide off his chair, Minho had on a more-or-less poker-faced expression, while Dusk and Thomas seemed simply overwhelmed. Gail was breathing heavily, but Keith didn't want to meet her eyes.

"We understand." Newt said finally. "You didn't have a choice. But frankly Keith? How is it that no one found you? We searched the forest. We should've heard or seen something."

Keith's hands started to sweat, but he forced himself to be calm. "Newt, everyone was more than a little shocked by the events of the previous day. The forest is huge. You really think it's that impossible for us to be in a part you didn't search?" he responded. Newt nodded thoughtfully; Keith's words made sense.

He walked over to his sister's bed and sat down beside her. He stroked her forehead and sighed. "I wish I could find the shanks that did this to her. I'd wring their necks, every one of them." He said.

Before anyone could say more, Gail rose from her seat beside Keith and started walking over to where Astrid lay. Her expression was unsettling; it was almost crazy. Her fists were clenched. Dusk shot Newt a warning look; this Gail was one to look out for. Newt acknowledged his warning by standing up and moving forward.

Just as Gail was about to reach Astrid, she found her way blocked by Newt, who grabbed her arm and held her back. She looked him straight in the eyes, her single green eye holding more fury than anything Newt'd seen before. "Let me go Newt." She said.

"Stop, Gail. You aren't going to hurt Astrid, got that?" He told her firmly. She shook her hand away from his grip. "Oh yeah?" she sneered. "She hurt my brother, Newt. No one, are you listening, _no_ - _bloody_ - _one_ does that. And if they do, they've got to answer to _me_."

Newt didn't lose his cool. "Yeah, but the girl you're referring to is my sister. There aint any bloody way I'm letting you hurt her." He said. Gail laughed. "Who said I was going to hurt her? She just needs to give a solid explanation for attacking Keith."

"Gail, I told you. She was having another fit. The blood, the crazy muttering, the way she was referring to me as someone else, it's all happened before. She didn't mean any of those things." Keith put it. He hadn't anticipated this sort of reaction from his sister.

Minho nodded, stepping forward. "Gail, I think we all agree that it wasn't Astrid's fault. Thomas and I getting trapped in the maze must've brought on some memories of her torture. She didn't mean to hurt Keith, so calm the shuck down." He said, placing one hand on Gail's shoulder. The girl looked only at Newt, who gave her a kind smile.

"Gail, I know what you feel. The way you're protective about Keith, I am about Astrid. But you must understand, it wasn't her fault. She's unbalanced, and we need to be rational about this. You've seen how much she cares for Keith. You know there's no way she'd hurt him on purpose. Please, just calm down." He said.

Gail cast one last look at the sleeping girl before turning once more to her brother. She forced herself to look calm. She exhaled. "You're right. I'm sorry. I just got a little… It doesn't matter. This wasn't Astrid's fault and I should've known that. I'm sorry." She gently took Minho's hand off her shoulder and smiled at the boys. "I'm going out, alright? I need some air. This stuff is a little too much to take in." she said.

Newt nodded. "Yeah, we get it. Just don't wander off." He added with a friendly smirk. Gail laughed again and turned. She patted Keith's head once more before walking out the door. She needed some time to think.

This must have been the Creator's way of reminding Gail of her purpose. She needed to do what she was here for. They were just giving her more incentive. She didn't hate Astrid, no, but she didn't feel torn by guilt anymore. If she didn't kill her, Keith would lose his life. A twisted grin plastered itself onto her lips, as a plan started forming in her mind.

If it was a murder the Creators wanted, it was a murder that she was going to give them.

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Here I am! Finally! An extra long chapter to make up for the absence. Hope y'all liked it! I promise some more… action, in the next one. Hehe.**

 **To Embers to Ashes: Wow, y'all are getting good at the predictions! Guess I'l have to work harder to be more unpredictable, eh? As for the blood, I mentioned in the previous chapter that only Keith's top shirt had Griever blood on it, while Astrid's had none. He took off that shirt, so there was no sign of the blood. Hope this answers the question! Thanks for the review! :)**

 **To iristmr: Hehe. Hope you liked the plan, not to mention the chapter. Thanks for reviewing! :)**

 **To Guest: Thank you! As for their powers, I cant say it'll be anytime soon, because I want the story to not be rushed. But I promise not to drag it either. I have plans for the two. *evil grin* Hope you enjoyed the chapter! :)**

 **To CheetahGirl9X9: It's okay! I really hope you liked this chapter! :)**

 **I wanna thank everyone for their awesome reviews and all the favs and follows. Seriously, it motivates me so much! Keep reviewing, favoriting, following if you think my story is worth it!**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey guys!** _**VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT NOTE MUST READ PLEASE!**_

 **Right. Now that you're reading this, I need to tell you that I will be putting this story, along with my other Hunger Games SYOT on hold. Until September 30th. After that, I WILL STILL UPDATE THIS STORY AND THIS ISNT ABANDONED BY A LONG SHOT. I really apologize for the hiatus, but I have my exams, and I hope you guys understand. This is an extra-long and hopefully good chapter before a long break, so I do certainly hope you enjoy it. I'm extremely sorry for this, but please understand. :)**

 **Lee: *looks over chapter* right. Here's the award for Author-who-has-a-strange-interest-in-torturing-their-characters**

 **Me: Hey, dude, this ain't that bad!**

 **Aidan: Oh no, not at all, nope.**

 **Me: -.-**

 **Lee: I've given up.**

 **Aidan: Correction-We've given up**

 **Me: ...**

 **Me: With thy permission, mayest I continue?**

 **Aidan: Thee shalt**

 **Me: Thank thee**

 **~.~.~.~.~.**

The dirt splattered over Gail's face, making her splutter. Keith let out a small laugh from beside her. "This really isn't your thing, Gail." He said, plucking out another tomato. Gail threw down her shovel. "Damn right it isn't." she sneered. Her gaze travelled towards the girl sitting beside Keith, and her eye darkened. Keith followed her gaze and felt his own features morphing into confusion. Why in the world was Gail looking at Astrid like she wanted to bite her head off?

But Gail's look passed before he could ask her anything, so he assumed he must've imagined it. He shrugged and looked at Astrid again. He'd drawn her aside and explained the whole situation to her before she could contradict him. It would've been mighty strange had that happened.

Sure, Astrid had stuck out her tongue at Keith when he explained the reason he'd hit her head with the rock. But he supposed that had been better than having her obliviously blutter out their adventures of the night prior. He'd simply accepted it.

"Fertilizer. We need more fertilizer." Newt muttered. He looked up sheepishly. "I'd ask, but the last time I did so…" his voice trailed off. Keith couldn't help but laugh again. The last time someone had gone in to get fertilizer, Astrid and himself had almost been killed and Ben had been condemned to banishing. Of course Newt would be a little hesitant.

"I'll go!" Astrid pumped her hand in the air, looking like someone had offered her a free ticket to some paradise. Newt looked unsure. "Um, Astrid, it's not safe and you probably don't-"

"I'll go." She repeated, firmer this time. She had that look again. That look in her eyes that told everyone that she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer. Fixated on Astrid, both boys missed the sneer that was forming on Gail's lips.

She hadn't even had to think of a way! This was more than perfect. She wondered for a moment whether some God above had a hand in this. It seemed unreal that everything was falling so well into place without her having to do anything. She fingered her waist, where she felt the outline of the dagger she'd stolen from the Map Room just the previous night. It had been too easy. She almost wanted to laugh.

"But Astrid, you don't know where it is!" Newt said. Astrid stuck out her tongue (seriously, the girl had a strange habit). "I know fertilizer. Newtie bad. Newtie doesn't listen. Astrid wants to help. Newtie not letting Astrid help." She complained. Newt sighed. "Fine, I'll come with you." He said. Gail took this as her cue.

"Hey, Newt, stay here. I'll go with her."Gail offered, stepping up. Newt gave her a funny look. She laughed good-naturedly. "Relax Blondie. I won't chew out her heart. I know where the fertilizer is and I'd rather climb to the top of one of those walls and jump off rather than continue this klunk any longer."

A look of darkness passed over Newt's face at Gail's words, but no one managed to catch it. He glanced once more towards his sister, before looking at Gail again. He nodded. He trusted the girl. He didn't know why, but he did. He supposed it was because he could relate to her. She only acted weirdly because she felt protective of her brother. Newt did just the same for Astrid.

Astrid leapt up from her place and grabbed a basket. She threw her arms around Newt's neck , which led to the basket bonking him on his arm. "Thank you Newtie!" she exclaimed. Newt was visibly surprised at this, but when she pulled away, he simply nodded. The girl ran up to Gail and held her hand firmly, beaming. Gail adjusted her eye-patch once more and shot Newt a somewhat unsure look before heading off into the forest.

As the duo entered the lining, Gail'shand found its way into her pocket, where she fingered the metal wire she'd nicked from Frypan's kitchen. It was amazing, what items the cook had in there. Gail had an elaborate plan, and the location of the fertilizer being in the middle of the forest simply complimented it. She sneered again. The Creators would be happy with her.

"How far is it, Fairy?" Astrid asked, skipping. Gail didn't reply. They were close, but she wasn't about to tell the girl that. She needed the element of surprise. Astrid, however, demanded an answer to her question. "Why didn't Fairy answer?" she asked again, innocently. Her big blue eyes were almost enough to make Gail hesitate. But not quite enough.

"Oh I'm sorry Astrid. Maybe it's because I have a little surprise in store for you." The older girl said. A wave of confusion washed over Astrid's face, but Gail wasn't about to let the moment pass.

As quick as lightning, she swept out her knife and lunged at Astrid. She was quicker than Gail had anticipated, though. She leapt out of the way, shrieking. "Fairy, what's wrong!?" She exclaimed, obviously fazed by Gail's behavior. Gail just snarled.

She grabbed Astrid's hair and pulled her forward. She could feel a few strands being pulled out of their roots, and Astrid screamed in pain. Gail could simply hope her screams weren't loud enough to reach the Glade. She dragged Astrid forward by her hair and smashed her head against a tree. She needed the latter weakened; she might've fought back if she wasn't. Astrid was screaming wildly, thrashing, trying desperately to get away from Gail. She wasn't going to.

Gail rammed the butt of her knife onto Astrid's forehead, where the wound made by Keith was already fresh. Astrid let out another wail; the girl was sobbing violently now. But she wasn't one to give up so soon. She brought her left hand up and hit Gail as hard as she could on her blind side. Her fist connected with Gail's temple and the latter cried out in pain, dropping her.

Astrid didn't waste time. She jumped to her feet and ran behind a thick foliage of trees, where she was obscured from Gail's view. Gail yelled in rage. "Why do you have to make this so difficult!?" She screamed, rubbing her head where Astrid had hit her. She was about to advance, holding up her knife, when from nowhere, a huge figure emerged, stopping Gail dead in her tracks.

For the first time since she could remember, Gail found herself face-to-face with a grizzly bear.

Gail took a step back, out of sheer shock. There weren't supposed to be any wild animals in the forest. Where had this bear come from? And where was Astrid? Nevertheless, she raised her weapon. If this bear was going to stop her from killing Astrid, she was just going to take it out too. Nothing was going to stand in her way.

Yelling defiantly, she charged forward. The bear swiped at her with its claws, but Gail was quicker. She dodged the first wave and rolled out of the way. As the bear brought its paw down on her once again, she raised her knife in an attempt to block it. However, she didn't see the bear's left hand coming up on her blind side.

BAM

Gail found herself throw sideways. She threw her knife at the bear, but she could see stars in her eyesight. For the millionth time, she damned her cursed bad eye for this. The part where the bear's paw had hit her head was throbbing so badly, it put her in a world of pain. She started seeing red, and for a second, entertained the fact that she might be having a concussion.

No. She couldn't afford to break down like this. She needed to kill Astrid. Otherwise Keith would be taken away from her. Putting every ounce of her will into clearing her vision, she propped herself up onto her fists, using the force of her arms to lift herself. As her eyesight returned to a normal color, she searched the trees for any sign of the bear or Astrid.

She saw nothing. Gail got to her feet, staggering slightly. Her mind was spinning from all the weird things that were going on, and frankly, she was starting to get a little overwhelmed. The sheer horror of her state was enough to make any sane human being snap. She let out a laugh which scared her much more than it probably had Astrid. But she couldn't help it. She was being sucked into a void of panic and helplessness, the only way out of which was to kill Astrid. She was human after all. She could feel her brian succumbing to the stress, slowly nearing the stage of snapping.

"Astrid…. Oh Astrid! Come out come out wherever you are! I just wanna play!" Gail cooed, her voice musical yet tinged with malice. Her sneer was enough to make even the bravest of Gladers pee their pants; never had she looked quite so menacing. "Doesn't Astrid want to play with Fairy? I'll give you a treat Astrid…" she said, her eyes darting back and forth, trying to locate the girl.

Unbeknownst to Gail, Astrid was just above her. She'd turned into a bear to try and defeat Gail, but she'd quickly realized that Gail was way too skilled to be defeated by brute force. In a state of panic, she'd hit the other girl and while she was in a daze, morphed into a bird to fly up into a tree and perch on its branch. She'd turned back to her human form, and gripped the trunk tightly. She simply didn't know why her Fairy was trying to hurt her. Fairy had been so kind to her, why would she suddenly try to her Astrid? And the way Fairy was calling out to her, it scared Astrid. It scared her a lot. Fairy sounded less like a fairy and more like a monster.

"Oh come one Astrid, don't be a spoilsport. I just wanted to play! Come on Astrid…" She said again in that sweet musical tone.

That's when things went drastically wrong.

Astrid's foot slipped from the branch and she lost her footing. She flailed, trying to get a grip on a handhold. Instead, her hands brushed thin air. She cut through the leaves and branches, plummeting straight down. She landed on the ground with an extremely painful jolt, and cried out again. She looked up to find herself at Gail's feet, the girl's one eye wide with shock. Her expression quickly went back to her sneer. She reached down and lifted Astrid once again by her hair.

"Don't. Try. To. Run." She said through gritted teeth. Astrid screamed for help, screamed until her throat hurt, but Gail simply laughed. She yanked Astrid up and without hesitation, smashed her face against a tree.

Gail heard the satisfying sound of Astrid's nose breaking. The younger girl was sobbing now, her blood mixed with her tears. Gail could feel her plan almost successful. This was the last step. In a lighting-fast maneuver, she swept out the wire from her pocket and let Astrid drop to the floor, where she held her nose, trying to stop the blood. Gail wound the wire around her palms, stretching it out between her two hands. She tugged on it once to check its strength. "This isn't personal." She said, looking once more at Astrid, who glanced at her with fear-filled eyes. She barely had time to scream, when Gail advanced, wrapping her wire around the girl's throat. This was Gail's first time garroting someone, but she had the fire in her to pull it off. Once again, without letting a second thought cross her mind, she started pulling, blood spurting out from Astrid's neck.

Astrid curled her fingers around the cord, trying to create a barrier between it and her neck, but Gail was pulling it so hard, the cord cut through her fingers. Astrid's screams were physically painful to the ears, the terror in her face was stark and clear. Gail growled and pulled harder. Astrid yanked away with her fingers, the region of her neck now a raw, bloody mess. But Gail could almost taste triumph.

That's when Triumph was snatched away from her.

"ASTRID!" She heard a panic-stricken voice. She turned her head just a little to find Zart, Newt and Keith standing at the edge of the clearing, frozen in horror. From beside her, someone else burst into the gathering. Gail found herself looking at Dusk's shocked visage. She knew she didn't have time. She pulled harder.

Astrid's cries of help were now weak. Gail knew the cord had penetrated the skin of her neck. But before she could finish the job, she felt her hands being pulled apart by a strong grip. She completely lost it.

"LET ME GO!" She yelled, thrashing against the person restraining her. She punched and kicked, trying to get away. Meanwhile, Keith slid down next to Astrid, who was sprawled on the forest floor. He ripped off the sleeve of his shirt and was about to press it onto Astrid's neck wound, when he noticed the wire that was stuck in it. Wincing slightly, he pulled the wire out, at which another scream emanated from Astrid's mouth. It threw Keith's heart into a pool of acid, seeing his sister snap and his best friend almost dead.

Newt was having some serious trouble restraining Gail. They'd rushed into the forest the moment they'd heard Astrid's screams, but it took them a while to find them. When they finally did, he saw Gail garroting his sister with a copper wire. Not a good sight.

Gail struggled against Newt with her whole might, even resorting to biting his arm. He didn't know what had happened to turn this girl into a monster. He tried to keep his emotions under control, but it wasn't easy. He watched with worry as Keith and Zart lifted Astrid up by her arms, her head lolling forward. "NO!" Gail screamed louder, which Newt had not thought possible. Dusk still stood frozen in his place. Gail was watching her chance at killing Astrid slip by. She wasn't going to let it.

"I HAVE TO KILL HER! STOP!" She turned around and sunk her teeth into Newt's shoulder. It had the desired effect. Newt howled in pain and his grip faltered, but he didn't let her go. Keith and Zart took this as their cue. They started running towards the Glade, practically dragging Astrid behind them. Gail screamed again, her cries not above those of an animal. She bit Newt again, this time on his arm, and she knew her teeth had sunk deep enough from the coppery taste of blood that flooded her mouth. Newt knew this was dangerous, but he couldn't help it. He screamed and let go of Gail, who immediately shot up and stared limp-running in the direction Keith and Zart had gone. Newt knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to catch up to them in the forest, and once in the Glade, there would be many others to stop Gail.

Seeing Gail limp away was what brought Dusk out of his stupor. He rushed over to Newt, who was cradling his arm, trying to stop the blood. "Gods… here, put your weight on me." Dusk said, attempting to sling Newt's arm around his shoulder. Newt pushed him away. "No. Go after Gail. Heavens know what that slinthead's gonna bloody do next." The boy said. Dusk got up, understanding Newt's concern. Without looking back, he turned and ran after Gail.

Gail was breathing hard. She ignored the throbbing pain in her right thigh, where Astrid had previously kicked her. She needed to find them.. She needed to kill Astrid. Her fingers brought out from her pocket her last weapon. A screw-driver, which she'd saved for last resort. The thing was pretty big, and if plunged into someone's heart, it would probably kill them instantly. Gail gripped it tight as she continued to limp-run after them. Little did she know of the boy running up behind her. Dusk could be pretty damned stealthy when he wanted to.

He grabbed Gail's arms from behind, and yanked her back. This visibly startled Gail. She let ot yet another guttural yell, and without thinking twice what the outcome of her actions might have been, spun around on her heels. She stabbed downward with her whole might, feeling the blade of the screw-driver break through flesh and muscle.

She stepped away, obviously about the run after Astrid again, when a scream stopped her. She hadn't seen the face of her attacker when she'd hit him, but the scream that rang through her ears was all too familiar. Slowly she turned, her eyes wide. _Not him… Please don't let it be him_ … she prayed.

No such luck.

Gail could only stare in horror as Dusk, her only friend in the Glade writhed on the ground in pain, the handle of the screw-driver sticking out of his shoulder, his blood painting his shirt in a red hue.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: There you guys are! A nice little non-cliffanger ending. Oh wait...**

 **Oops.**

 **Sorry! But I will update as soon as my exams get over. hope you understand! Also, since you guys are so awesome and hopefully will understand my situation, I'll give a little gift. I'll be writing a spin-off from Darkness after my exams get over. YES, I DID JUST SAY DARKNESS LIKE HOO-YEAH! It's a small little One-shot, and you don't need to have read Death Cure to understand it. It's just a nice peaceful (yes, I did also just say Peaceful. Something is definitely wrong with me today) moment between Kyra and Aidan. And they're just happy... and remembering... another character... and being sad... and...**

 **I'm gonna shut up now.**

 **Right then.**

 **REPLY TIME!**

 **to Reader Castellan: Man, I really REALLY love long reviews, so thank you so much! And no, I dont get paid to torture my characters, though I wish I did. I would've been a millionaire. XP I must admit I felt a little guilty whilst writing those torture scenes, but hehe. I'm so glad you liked the characters! Thanks for the compliment! Hope the chapter was good!**

 **to double-0-nothing: PLEASE DON'T CRY! I don't intend on making Astrid evil, but I can't say anything about Gail killing her. Hehe. As for their powers, well, if the Gladers got to know soon, it would make them a tad overpowered, and I don't want that. I'm glad you like the story! Thanks for the review! :)**

 **to CheetahGirl9X9: That's okay, I make mistakes in my reviews even though I don't use the mobile. And you're right, that would've been funny XD. Hope you liked the chapter!**

 **to Embers to Ashes: SOMEBODY GOT THE REFERENCE GOODNESSS I AM SO GLAD! I go a little ecstatic when people pick up on my references too. And don't worry, I think I've established my insanity to people by the way I lose it when a fandom reference comes up. And I understand. I recently entered the Death Note Fandom, and now am obsessed and want to kill my friend who introduced me to it. So... yep :P and I hope you liked Gail's 'idea' ! And the chapter! :)**

 **And seriously guys? 22 followers and 21 favs? HONESTLY? DAMN YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME! Thank you all so much! Hope to see you after September 30th! Sorry again for the break, but hope you understand...**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: OH! What is this!? Did WizardDemigodGladerGatekeeper update this story when they clearly said in the last chapter that they wouldn't?**

 **Yes I did, bros and sistas.**

 **I figured I was extremely evil, leaving you guys with that cliffie, so I thought why not? I needed a de-stressor, and this was perfect! Sorry once again for the hiatus, which will be there after this chapter, but thanks for understanding!**

 **Aidan: Wow, when did you decided to become nice?**

 **Me: HEY! I was always nice, okay? I simply radiate niceness!**

 **Lee: Oh yeah sure. Garottings and stabbings. Pure niceness.**

 **Me: Well, fine, maybe that once. But I am nice, okay?**

 **Aidan: *narrows eyes*... Fine...**

 **Lee: *turns to readers* Lets move onto the story, shall we?**

~.~.~.~.

Gail sunk to her feet, as she gazed at her only friend in the whole place. Dusk looked at her, clutching his shoulder. His features were contorted in pain. "No…" the word escaped from Gail's lips before she could stop herself. She crawled forwards and stopped beside Dusk, who now lay on the ground, his eyes shut tight. "Dusk… Oh my god…" Gail managed.

"Don't… run…." Dusk's voice was shaky. He gripped the screw-driver and yanked it out, letting a blood-curling scream escape him. Gail could feel her sobs making their way out. "No, Dusk, no…" she said.

Vaguely, she was aware of footsteps approaching her, but she zoned out. She felt strong arms wrap around her own arms, as people pulled her away from Dusk. This time, she didn't resist. She felt so utterly numb at what she'd done, she simply couldn't get herself to resist. She simply sobbed, as they people dragged her away.

Newt's head felt like blowing up. He made his way over to where Dusk lay, and he looked at the boy lying in front of him. "Oh man…" he said. Dusk laughed, which Newt found a little strange. "Newt, man, you're really a morale raiser." He said. Newt's eyebrows furrowed in worry. As the people dragged a wailing Gail away, he called out to them. "JACKSON! Come here!" He yelled.

A boy separated himself from the group and made his way over to Newt. He knelt beside Dusk and understood Newt's intent in a moment. He slung Dusk's good arm around his neck and pulled him up Newt wrapped his own arm around Dusk's shoulder and supported him. Dusk yelped, but didn't protest. "Calm down, Dusk. You're not dying. Just hold it there brother, we'll get you back." Newt said, grunting slightly under Dusk's weight. Newt expected some sarcastic remark from Dusk, but to his horror, he was greeted by silence.

He turned his head a little to look at him, and found Dusk's eyes to be closed. Panic closed up on him, and he stopped dead in his tracks. No… This couldn't be…

"Gods, Dusk, no. Don't you die on me shank." He ordered the limp boy. He extricated his arm from around Dusk's waist and pressed his forefingers to Dusk's neck, praying to every god above that he found a pulse.

His heart soared at the steady, thin but definitely present beat of Dusk's pulse.

He let go of Dusk, forcing Jackson to bear his weight. The other boy stumbled a bit, but managed to keep them upright. Newt took off his jacket and pressed it tightly to Dusk's wound. If they didn't stop the blood, he would bleed out before they got him to the Glade. He tied the sleeved in a messy knot, which was plenty unpleasant to look at, but it managed to stop the blood which was now dripping from Dusk's shoulder in a steady stream, mingling with the mud on the forest floor.

"Come on!" Newt ordered Jackson. The two hefted Dusk once again onto their shoulders. Slowly, carefully, they started walking towards the Glade. One foot in front of the other, Newt trudged as fast as he could with Dusk's additional weight. He didn't know why, but he was going to save Dusk. He wasn't going to let another Glader die, when he could have been saved.

As they made their way out of the forest line, Newt could hear gasps of horror. He looked up, his eyes red from strain. The other Gladers were frozen in shock. "Don't just stand there slintheads, help us!" He ordered. Immediately, three boys rushed forward and took Dusk from the two of them. They started carrying him off towards the med-hut, and Newt heard Jackson collapse beside him. "Man that dude is heavy." The boy said. Newt shot him a thankful look, but he had bigger things to worry about. Namely, his sister.

He took off in the direction of the med-hut. He threw open the door to find Minho already back from the maze, head buried in his hands. Even Thomas and Chuck were present, which was not something Newt expected, for Thomas needed to be in the Slammer. Newt didn't really care, though. The three boys brushed past him carrying Dusk and rushed him into a room.

"Med-Jacks!" Minho yelled out, jumping up at the sight of the injured boy. A door to his side was thrown open, and Clint ran out, looking a little unbalanced, maybe even panicked. He took one look at Dusk and opened another door, gesturing inside. The boys carried Dusk in, and Clint looked at Newt. "Jeff'll take care of her." he said curtly. Newt nodded, and Clint disappeared inside the other room.

"MY GOD!" Minho yelled, throwing his hands in the air. "What the hell's going ON around here!?"

Newt leaned against a wall and sighed. "Man, I swear to God, I'm NEVER asking anyone to get fertilizer, ever again." He groaned. He looked up at Minho, who seemed to be fuming. "How's she now?" he asked. Minho's expression softened.

"Alive." He said simply. Newt shut his eyes, refusing to let the tears fall. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Thomas looking at him with a concerned expression. "Newt, Astrid'll be fine. Jeff said the wounds aren't too deep. She's just lost a lot of blood. We managed to get her back in time."

"Why would she do that?" a voice said. Newt looked for the source and spotted Keith in the corner of the room, standing quietly obscured by shadows. Newt hadn't seen him when he'd first walked in, but the kid looked terrible. Deathly pale with red eyes from crying. Tears still glistened on his cheeks. His hands trembled at his sides, and he looked ready to collapse. "Why would Gail try to kill Astrid?"

"I don't know and I honestly couldn't care less." Newt snapped. Keith flinched, but Newt's last concern at the moment was politeness. He turned to Minho. "Where's the shank now?" he asked, fury dripping from his words. Minho sighed. "They had no choice but to throw her in the slammer. She kept screaming one thing. She wanted to know if Dusk was alive. Man, you shoulda seen her. Jacked up, that one is." he said.

Newt turned to glare at Keith. "I'm telling you, kid. If anything happens to either Astrid or Dusk, your sister's not gonna live to see the next day. I don't care what you say in her defense. She's a psychotic murderer, and if I had my way, she'd be scheduled for banishing right now."

"You do have your way."

Keith's reply threw everyone into silence. He looked at Newt. "Alby is in the infirmary, recovering from the Changing. You're the second in the command here. That means you're in charge." He said in a voice so quiet, it was barely audible. Newt knew he wasn't trying to be sassy or anything, the kid was simply scared.

"We'll-" Newt started, but was cut off by a door opening. Jeff appeared, looking pale and disoriented. Newt knew in an instant that he'd been working on Astrid. His heart leapt into his throat and he rushed forward, grabbing Jeff's shoulders.

"Jeff, please tell me she's fine. Please just tell me she's alright." Newt pleaded. Jeff sighed, and Newt's stomach went for a roll.

"She's alive."

Everything seemed to slow down around Newt. He pushed past Jeff, not asking for any more details. He ran into the room, desperate to see his sister.

There she lay, bandaged everywhere. Blood tainted the bandages red, but he knew she was alive by the steady rise and fall of her chest. He slowly made his way over to her, and touched her forehead, brushing her hair back from her face. A thick bandage was wrapped around her neck, and she was unconscious.

"It's sleep medicine, don't worry. She was brought back in time. Any longer and she would've bled out. It was close, but at least she's alive. She'll be here the next few days." Jeff clarified from behind him. Newt had no ears for his words. He simply collapsed to his knees beside Astrid. Before he could stop them, tears started running down his cheeks. The events of the past few days had taken their toll on him. He simply couldn't take it anymore.

Newt felt someone take his shoulders and looked up to see Minho, looking grim. He shakily stood up and wiped his tears away. "Sorry, I just-"

He was cut off by Minho, who pulled him into a hug. "Mate, if you weren't crying by now, I'd certify you as insane." The Keeper of the Runner said softly. Newt didn't say anything, but he was thankful for his friend's presence.

Newt pulled away and looked at Astrid once more. He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on the sleeping girl's forehead. He looked at Jeff. "I'm staying here until Light's out." He said with a tone of finality. Jeff nodded and ran out, possibly to get him a chair. Newt turned to Minho. His eyes were hard and steely.

"I'm calling a gathering." he said, his voice shaking with fury. Minho nodded, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I know, but not today. Too much scary crap has happened today." He said. Newt glared at him but understood his words.

"Fine. But Daybreak tomorrow, we decide whether or not Gail's gonna be banished."

~.~.~.~.~.

Dusk wondered for a moment if he was dead. Then that thought went clear out of his mind. If he was dead, he wouldn't hurt so damned badly. His shoulder felt like it had been boiled in acid and hung out to dry. It hurt to breathe; it hurt to move. Nevertheless, he slowly opened his eyes and groaned.

The first thing he saw was a dim orange glow. At first he wondered where he was, then in a flash, the events came crashing down on him.

Gail…

He bolted upright. Immediately, a cry escaped his lips and he clutched his shoulder. His left arm had been but in a cast, but it still hurt like hell. "Easy there…" a voice said. Dusk looked up to see Newt standing over him, looking concerned. "You got stabbed by a psycho with a screw-driver." He put it plain and simple.

"Ah, man I feel terrible…." Dusk groaned again, leaning against the bed-rest. Newt smirked. "I'd find it strange if you weren't." the blond boy answered.

"Where…." Dusk started. He looked around and made some sense of his surroundings. He seemed to be in the med-hut, lying in one of the rooms. This particular room had two beds, and as his gaze fell on the bed beside him, he gasped. Astrid lay on that bed, clad in white sheets, her neck wrapped in a thick white bandage. Newt walked back to his chair and sat down.

"Med-hut. You gave us one nasty scare there, mate. I didn't think you were gonna make it for a second. Thankfully, Clint came through. You lost a lotta blood, but you'll live." Newt stated. Dusk gaped at him. "You mean, I almost died!?" He exclaimed.

"Shush it will ya? My sister's asleep." Newt said, a tinge of annoyance in his voice. He held a finger to his lips. Dusk glanced sideways and gave Newt a sheepish look. Then, a thought occurred to him, and his eyes widened. "My god… You're going to banish Gail, aren't you?"

Newt's face darkened. Dusk could almost see the fury dripping off of him. "We'll have a gathering, yes. It's not decided, but if my decision is of any importance, I'm going to make bloody sure she's thrown into the maze." He said through gritted teeth.

Dusk looked away but didn't say anything. His only friend in the Glade was going to be banished, and he was powerless. He knew nothing he could have said would make them change their minds. And Newt seemed hell-bent on banishing Gail.

"Say, Dusk," Newt said, yawning widely. The boy looked deprived of sleep, the bags of his eyes decorated by dark circles. "You think you two'll be fine in here? I'll pass out from lack of sleep." He pleaded. Dusk forced a grin. "Yeah. Astrid's asleep, and I'm feeling fine. Go sleep, Newt."

Newt flashed him a grateful look. He stood up and walked over to Astrid. He took one long look at her face before turning away. He nodded at Dusk and made his way out of the room. Dusk leaned back against the bed-rest and closed his eyes.

It seemed minutes later that he was woken up by someone's sobs. He looked to his side and saw Astrid shaking from the cries that escaped her. She wasn't wailing, which was something Dusk appreciated, but she was crying nonetheless. Wincing, Dusk got up from his bed and walked over to her. The two of them had never formally talked, but he knew a lot about her.

Astrid's eyes were shut, and the tears steadily streamed down her face. The bandage on her throat became redder with every sob, and Dusk knew he had to stop her from crying more. It would physically hurt her. The pain in his shoulder was so intense, it threatened to knock him out, but currently, he had priorities. Ignoring it, he sat down on Astrid's bed and patted her arm.

Slowly, she opened her eyes. They were a startling blue color, which was made even shinier by her tears. She looked at Dusk with a confused expression through her cries. "Who are you?" she asked. Dusk smiled softly. It had been a while since he'd been in contact with people, but he'd seen Newt do this with Astrid, and Gail with Keith. "My name's Dusk. May I know yours?" he asked.

"Astrid." She said, her voice wavering. Another sob. Dusk moved beside her and patted her shoulder slightly. "Hey, Astrid, don't cry. I don't like seeing people cry." He said. Astrid looked up at him. he was now positioned beside her head, leaning on her bed-rest. Partly so that she could see him without moving too much, partly because he needed something to lean on.

"Astrid is scared, Dusky. Astrid is very scared. Fairy wanted to kill Astrid. Astrid is gonna die…" she murmured. Dusk put his hand on her forehead. He brushed away her bangs and smiled wider. "No, Astrid will most definitely not die. Astrid's safe, as long as she has Newt. So stop crying. Nothing'll happen to you, I can guarantee that." He said reassuringly.

Astrid's sobs stopped. Her eyes grew wider. "Does Dusky really mean that?" she asked hopefully. Dusk laughed. "Yeah Astrid, of course I mean it! Now, what'll it take to get that smile back on your face, huh?" he smirked. Astrid pretended to think, curling her lower lip in a 'thoughtful' look. Suddenly, her eyes lit up and she looked back at him. "Story! Astrid loves stories! Dusky can tell Astrid a story!"

Dusk laughed nervously. "Eh, Astrid, I'm not all that good with stories…" he began, but seeing Astrid's face fall, he quickly added "But I can try!"

Astrid's face broke into a huge grin. "Nice Dusky!" she exclaimed. Dusk noticed for the first time that her voice was hoarse. Thankfully though, the wire hadn't cut too deep. She might've lost her ability to speak if it had. But strangely, she didn't let the fact that she was practically covered in bandages keep her from smiling. Dusk now knew why no one ever felt down around this girl. The kid simply had a way of making people smile. She scooted to the side so that her head rested on Dusk's thigh. Dusk had never had a little sister, but if he had, this was probably what that would've felt like.

Astrid looked at him with expectant eyes, and he cleared his throat. His story was stupid, but he hoped Astrid liked it. He began, speaking softly.

"There was once a large family of birds. Small birds, big birds, blue birds, red birds. Every kind of bird. They were a huge family of fifty birds. They were supposed to be happy, without a worry in the world. But that wasn't the case." He paused for effect. Astrid chuckled softly and muttered "Birdies." Her voice had become softer, as though she were slowly drifting to sleep. Dusk wasn't surprised. The faint glow of the lamp on the far wall and the soft chirping of insects outside threatened to lull Dusk into sleep's comforting covers too. Shaking off his drowsiness, he continued.

"All the birds were always sad. Sometimes they would smile, but it would quickly die out. They needed someone who would always keep that smile on their faces. And one day, that someone came, in the form of a little bird. She was the first one like that, the first of her kind. Yellow feathers and big innocent blue eyes. She was smaller than most of them, and she was a little different."

"But that bird was what made the difference in them. Nobody knew how she did it, but whenever she was around, the birds would always have a smile on their faces. The little bird was childish and strange, laughing for every little thing. But that little bird spread the happiness in that place. Sure, sometimes she would cause them worry by wandering off and putting herself into danger, but that was balanced by the innumerable times she made them laugh. They simply couldn't stay sad whenever she was around."

Dusk shook his head at the mere childishness of the story, the immaturity. He was probably the worst story-teller in the whole Glade, and he half-expected Astrid to throw him off the bed, but to his surprise, she was smiling. "Happy birdies?" she asked, her voice barely audible. Her eyes were half closed and her breathing was slowed. Dusk smiled. "Yes Astrid. Every single one of the birds was happy. All thanks to that one little bird."

"Who was that little bird, Dusky?" Astrid asked again. Her eyes were completely closed now, but she had a small smile on her face. Dusk let out a small laugh. "Guess." He said. Astrid's breathing slowed down even more, and she murmured something softly. Dusk smiled. She was asleep. Mission accomplished.

He bent down and softly kissed her forehead. He wasn't her brother, but for the moment, his role wasn't any different from that of Newt's. He gently placed her head back on the pillow, and before getting up to go to his own bed, whispered three soft words.

"Goodnight little bird."

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: See? I can be nice! I wanted to leave y'all with a nice non-cliffhangery ending, so I thought this would do. Tell me how it was, even though it didn't have much action in it! I know, it was just a sweet little brother-sister moment between Dusk and Astrid, but I really wanted to write this, and I thought this was a good point to leave you guys with. The next chapter will be put up after the hiatus, because I really do need to study now XP. But I hope you guys liked this! Once again, sorry for the hiatus, but thank you all so much for understanding!**

 **Replies!**

 **To Reader Castellan: Well, I cant deny loving a bit of action and drama. I did really want Gail to seem a little unbalanced, and I'm glad I was able to pprtray that! I'm so glad you like Dusk! Hope this chapter was good! :)**

 **To iristmr: Thank you! Nobody died! :) Hope you liked this chapter too! :))**

 **To greenbean461: Thank you so much for the compliment! I'm so glad you liked Dusk! Hope this chapter was good too!**

 **To CheetahGirl9X9: I JUST KNOW RIGHT? Man, my friends and I go insane everytime we talk about it, and people around us are just like, dude, are you like, alright in the attic? But it is almost upon us! Hope this chapter was good! Its one of those rare times my ending's not a cliffie, eh?**

 **To Embers to Ashes: Ta daaa! He didnt die! And I left y'all with a non-cliffie ending!XD I'm excited about writing the Darkness spin-off! Hope this chapter was good! :)))**

 **Right then! See y'all after a month! Sorry for this wait once more!**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: HOLA MI AMIGOS! YESSSS! I AM BACK! WIZARDDEMIGODGLADERGATEKEEPER IS FINALLY HERE WITH A NEW CHAPTER! WOO-YEAH!**

 **Right. Sorry. Lost it there for a bit. This chapter may not have any major loopholes, but I really liked writing it. Hope y'alls awesome peoples like reading it!**

 **Aidan: Right. Missed ya there.**

 **Me: *narrows eyes* Naw, you didn't.**

 **Lee: Dammit, Wizard, you know how to tell lies.**

 **Me: O.o well that's touching.**

 **Aidan: Naah, don't worry. We kinda missed you. We had no one else to bother. And no one else to be bothered by.**

 **Me: Right. That makes me feel loads better.**

 **Me: ON WITH THE STORY!:)**

~.~.~.~.~.~

Gail's hands were wrapped around her knees. She couldn't stop her tears. She wasn't crying because she felt bad for herself. No, she was crying because she had probably killed her only friend in the Glade. Nobody had yet told her about Dusk's state, but the last she'd seen him, he hadn't looked all that good.

She wasn't weak. She didn't want to seem weak. But she couldn't keep her tears from falling. She desperately needed some news that Dusk was alright. Something; _anything_.

She knew her fate was sealed. If Newt had his way, which he did, she would be banished soon enough. She could only hope the Creators had pity on Keith. She'd tried her best. She'd gravely injured Astrid. She hoped it was enough.

All the pity and remorse she'd felt initially had disappeared. She was now a stone. If one had asked her to go stab someone then and there, she would have done it, if it meant saving Keith. She'd realized this one thing. Emotions made you weaker. It made didn't allow you to do tasks assigned to you. So she'd decided to bury every last shred of mercy, remorse and chivalry she had inside her to the depths of her new cold heart.

And yet, now she sat sobbing. Her grief was only tripled by the cold gray walls of the Slammer that surrounded her. The wind beat against her skin like a cold sheet, freezing her tears against her cheeks. It was daytime; a whole day had passed in the slammer for her. But the wind was like icy blasts, each magnifying the effects of her tears, reminding her of her deeds. She felt nothing about hurting Astrid. She'd had no choice there. But she couldn't get over her guilt at attacking Dusk.

Gail unwrapped her arms from around her knees, and stood up. She walked over to the door of the slammer and gripped the bars that separated her from the rest of the Glade. She rested her forehead gently against the rough wooden surface of the bars, and shut her eyes tight. She wanted her tears to go away before she addressed anyone.

"Well, this is a little awkward."

Gail's head snapped up. She recognized the voice. As she took in the person's face, her breath caught itself in her throat, and her eyes widened. She let out a little strangled noise of shock, and let go of the bars.

Dusk laughed. He had expected a reaction as such from Gail. He reached through the bars of the Slammer and wiped Gail's tears off her cheek, much like he'd done in the forest when they'd first met. "What, you're just going to stare at me like I dropped from the sky?" he asked, smirking. Gail couldn't find her voice. It was lodged somewhere in her throat, kept down there by her shock and guilt. She took in every detail of her friend's face. Dusk looked tired, with the skin under his eyes being slightly dark. His cheeks were sunken, but they'd always been so. His left arm was kept in a crudely made sling, but other than that, he looked pretty fine.

Gail grabbed the bars again. "You're alive!" She managed to yell, a bit too loudly. Dusk flinched. "Yeah, last I checked. Unless something changed from the time I checked and we're both dead and having this conversation in the afterlife. I think I'll go with the former."

Gail couldn't help it. She let go of the bars and covered her face, breaking down once again into tears. "I'm so sorry! I thought I had killed you! I didn't… I didn't mean… Dusk…" her sentences made no sense, thrown into utter gibberish by her uncontrolled sobs. Dusk didn't like seeing his friend like this.

"Hey, hey, look at me. Look, Gail." He reached through the bars once again, but could only reach her hand. He pried it away from her face, and she looked up at him with her green eye shining with tears. If not for the eye-patch, she wouldn't have looked quite so intimidating. "I almost killed you…" she said again.

"Yeah, well, you didn't. So stop the tears. And no apologies either. I don't wanna hear any of that mumbo jumbo. I'm alive and sitting in front of you." Dusk told her firmly. She wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. It was a feat calming herself but she managed. At least now she knew that Dusk was alive. The previous emotional breakdown was over. She'd reverted to her stone-hearted personality. She looked at her friend with cold eyes.

"They're gonna banish me, right? And don't lie to make me feel better. I know it'll happen." She said. Dusk looked slightly startled by this sudden shift of moods. Gail might have been his friend, but she was one strange girl to figure out. Then again, Dusk had a problem figuring people out in general. His face lost its previous playfulness, and he looked back at her, grim.

"Well, they'll have the Gathering, yeah. But if Newt gets his way, yeah. You'll be banished." He hated saying it. It was like the weight of memories falling once again onto his shoulders. These lines he'd said before, to Cole. Even amidst is craziness, Cole had had one moment of sanity. He'd asked Dusk the same exact thing.

Gail's face hardened. She stood still for a moment, not saying anything. Then, she slowly laughed. It was a bitter, cold laugh, devoid of even an inkling of humor. Dusk raised an eyebrow at her, wondering for a moment whether or not she had her marbles intact. "Of course. They're gonna banish me. If only they knew of the reason."

Dusk was about to ask her what she meant by that, when he was stopped by another voice. This one was all too familiar, and not all too welcome.

"Well, lookie here. Finally, some justice in this place. Psychos belong in the Slammer, and that's where you're put. Having fun in there?" Gally's sneer was prominent of his face. Gail looked at him with a sneer to match his.

"Exactly. Which is why I'm wondering why you're not in here with me." She snapped back. Gally's sneer morphed into a scowl. He glared at Gail, who looked like she could care less.

"You're the psychotic murderer who tried to kill people, shuck-face, not me. Or do you forget?" He said venomously. Gail only laughed. "Yeah, and how I wish one of them had been you. I would've done this place some good."

"You little…" Gally's voice was so low, it was almost a growl. He started marching towards the door of the Slammer, his fists clenched, as though he would try to punch Gail. Gail simply smirked and crossed her arms over her chest. Gally couldn't possibly make her situation worse that it already was. Gally had almost reached the door of the Slammer, when Dusk stepped into his path, blocking him effectively.

"Back off." The Bagger said. His brown eyes were hard, and his hand was on Gally's shoulder, stopping him. Gally tore his gaze away from Gail and turned it to Dusk. He stepped forward, getting in Dusk's face. Gally may have been muscled and strong, but Dusk matched him in height. He couldn't stare him down like he had countless others.

"What're you gonna do, huh? You gonna stop me?" He stood really close to Dusk. The latter stepped back, not wanting to get into Gally's face. "Yeah, I will. You got a problem with that?" he said. Gally laughed, but it wasn't a haha-you're-so-funny laugh. It was a haha-is-this-insignificant-being-actually-talking-to-me laugh. He stepped closer to Dusk once again, an even slimier sneer forming itself on his disgusting features.

"You're threatening me? I could snap that remaining arm of yours in half. What're you gonna do about it, huh? Throw me into the Maze like Cole?" Dusk's eyes widened. He stumbled back, visibly hurt. Gail glared at Gally. "Go shove that nose of yours somewhere else, Gally. We don't have time for this." She said. Dusk simply looked at Gally, hurt written across his face. He hadn't been reminded of his friend's death in a while. And the way Gally'd said it, he'd made it sound as though Dusk had killed Cole. Gally ignored Gail. He wasn't done. No one stood up to him and got away, especially not a freak like Dusk.

"You know what? I actually don't blame Gail all that much. Anyone who's friends with you ends up dead. Grant got torn apart by Cole, Cole got thrown into the maze, and now Gail's on her way-"

WHAM!

Gally hadn't seen Dusk's fist come. It connected with his jaw and sent his staggering back. Dusk's eyes were red. They were brimmed with tears. His glare made Gail's look downright sweet. "Shut. Up."

Two words. Two words were enough to convey what he felt. Gally looked up, dabbing at the corner of his mouth, which had started bleeding. He looked at Dusk incredulously, as though he couldn't believe someone had punched him.

"You don't deserve to say their names." Dusk said again, his voice shaking with fury. He was done with Gally's insults. Sure, he knew they weren't completely false. But he hated hearing them again and again. He wanted to move on. But Gally dug deep his scar every day.

"How dare you! I'll teach you a lesson for that, slinthead…" Gally threatened, coming at Dusk, who didn't flinch. Gail yelled out in protest, but both boys ignored her.

"HEY!" a new voice stopped Gally in his tracks. His fist was raised, about to hit Dusk, who'd brought his good arm up in defense. Both looked to see Newt standing not too many feet away, hands crossed, mouth turned down in a frown. The wind whipped his fringe all about his eyes, but it didn't seem to bother him too much. He glared at Gally.

"Gally, go do your own job. We don't keep you around for threatening people. Shove off." He ordered. Gally returned his look. "He hit me. No one does that." He said. Newt rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, and I'm sure Dusk here, who literally stays in the shadows would do that with absolutely no reason. I heard what you said." Newt snapped back. "Neither Cole nor Grant's deaths were Dusk's fault. And it definitely isn't his fault that Psycho here turned out the way she is. So like I said before. Shove off, or I'll have you thrown in beside Psycho herself, and eat popcorn while you two bicker."

Gally's eyes widened, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't about to defy Newt. He glared once more at Dusk and Gail, who reciprocated his look wholeheartedly, before stomping off. Newt turned to Dusk. He put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't mind him. He's like that. What he said, it wasn't true…"

Dusk looked at Newt, his face giving away nothing. "I'm gonna get going now. I'm guessing you came here to talk to Gail. Well, I aint gonna stop you. Go ahead." His voice was steely. Newt gave him an apologetic look, but what Gally said had really stung Dusk. Big time. The boy nodded at Gail before walking off towards the forest.

For a moment, Newt didn't say anything. Then, his expression changed from sympathetic to hateful. He looked at Gail with more hatred than he had ever felt for anyone. He opened the door to the Slammer and jumped inside. Gail seemed a little taken aback by this, and she backed up. Then she caught herself and sneered again.

"Lemme guess. You're here to tell me you're gonna banish me?" She asked snarkily. Newt stepped closer, his eyes threateningly angry. "No smart comments from you, shuck-face. Trust me, I'd love to be telling you that. Unfortunately, we still have to have the bloody gathering. And it's my duty to inform you. You won't be present there, but I'll come personally to tell you your banishing schedule." He shot at her.

Gail's sneer changed to a hard glare. Her glares were bad enough as they were, but the eye-patch just tripled the intimidating nature. She stood almost nose-to-nose with Newt. "Listen up, Newt. You're doing all this bullcrap because you wanna protect your sister, right?"

"Yeah, that's right. I wanna protect her and everyone else here from your psychotic ways."

The look in Gail's eyes hardened into something Newt hadn't quite thought possible. This girl was practically a stone figure. No betrayal of any sort of gentle emotions, no remorse. She was almost made completely of anger and defiance. He couldn't believe someone like this could actually exist.

Her voice was low, but her words held all of her determination and anger. "Well, let me tell you something, Newt. You're doing this to protect Astrid. Well, I'm doing this to protect me brother. And if that means I have to kill your sister and be banished for it, I don't care. I'm ready for anything."

~.~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: YASSSS! I'M BACK! I know, this chapter didn't have much of action, but I really wanted to add that fight with Gally. And of course, Gail being her usual angry self. Aaaaaanyways, hoped y'all liked this. I know it might be a little short, but hehe. I promise upcoming chapters will have… events, to put it mildly. I have a lot in store for these guys. ;)**

 **But I'm afraid I need to apologize. The reason? I have decided to stop replying to the reviews. PLEASE DONT THINK YOUR REVIEWS ARE NOT VALUABLE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE DO NOT! I LOVE YOUR REVIEWS SO MUCH! LIKE, 81 REVIEWS!? HOLY COW Y'ALL ARE SO UNSPEAKABLY EPIC I CANT EVEN SAY LIKE ASIUHIDJNQIUEUIWJNXWIUHCWOIJXIAJZO!**

 **But the thing is, I wanna devote my entire time on this website to writing up chapters for y'all. I simply cannot apologize enough for this, but please understand. But, if y'all really want the replies, I could start it again! Just for y'all. Do tell me what you think in your reviews! Once again, really sorry.**

 **Like I said. I really liked writing this chapter. I sure hope you guys liked reading it too!**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I'm BACK! EXAMS ARE OVER! AND I'M BAAAAAACK! HOORAYYYYY!**

 **Aidan: About damn time.**

 **Me: Hey, I had reasons, okay? You're a fictional character. You don't even have to give exams. Do you even know how bad those things are?**

 **Lee: Well, no, but…**

 **Me: Exactly.**

 **Lee: *glares***

 **Me: *smirks***

 **Lee: *glares harder***

 **Me: *smirks wider***

 **Aidan: *turns to readers* Right. Let's get to the story, shall we?**

~.~.~.~.~.

Newt massaged his temples. The stress of the last few days was getting to him. When Astrid had come up, and he'd recognized her as his sister, he'd thought that maybe, just maybe they were finally going to have some good luck. However, after that psycho murdered Gail had come up, everything had gone for a toss. Everything around him had fallen to chaos. He desperately wished Alby were still here. But no, their leader was lying in a cot, somewhere in the med-hut. Alby had gotten better, of course, he was out of the changing. But he needed rest.

As was the case with Astrid. She had healed up well, but she was still resting in the med-hut. She needed time before she was fit and fine. Newt really wanted her by his side. Having her small hands in his made him feel good inside. It made him feel relaxed. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to happen.

"OH SHUT UP!" He yelled. He was getting increasingly frustrated by the pandemonium that issued in the homestead, where they were holding the gathering. Almost every Glader was bustling around, talking to someone or the other, with the possible exception of Keith, who sat beside Newt looking straight ahead. The Gladers stopped their ruckus on hearing Newt's words. They stared at him sheepishly. Newt took several deep breaths to calm himself.

He pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers, the way he always did when he was stressed. He could feel a splitting ache in his brain, but he decided to ignore it. This had priority. He looked up at the Gladers. "Sit down and shut your bloody mouths." He ordered. The Gladers knew better than to mess with Newt when he was angry. He was a little more than terrifying when he was angry. And this was one of those times. They obeyed dutifully and sat down on their respective seats. Newt was about to start talking, when the door to the homestead flew open. Thomas tumbled inside, half-carrying, half-dragging a weeping Astrid.

He looked around, his cheeks slightly red. His eyes landed on Newt, whose mouth was hanging open in shock. "She wanted to see you." Thomas stated. Astrid shook off his hand and ran forward, pummeling into her brother with a bone-crushing hug. He strained himself, trying not to fall of his chair, and then wrapped his arms around his sister, who was sobbing into his shoulder. He patted her back.

"Hey, it's okay… calm down..." he soothed. He rested one hand on her head, stroking her hair gently, in the most calming way he could. Slowly, Astrid's sobs melted into dry sniffles. Newt pulled away and looked at her, ignoring the amazed stares of everyone around him. "What happened?" he asked, his voice almost a whisper. She sniffed again.

"Bad people… Bad people take Newtie away… I don't wanna lose Newtie… Bad people take you away…" she cried. Newt smiled at her. "No one's taking me away, Astrid. I'm right here. And I'm never leaving you." He wiped her tears away. "I'm not going anywhere, okay?" he gently pushed her down onto a seat beside him. He needed to keep her close, lest she started crying again. Newt had no idea what brought on these episodes of hers, but he was going to try to do anything to stop them. She sat down, but clinged onto his hand. He ruffled her hair and looked away. He needed to get down to business.

He gave the other gladers a meaningful look. They cleared their throats awkwardly and waited for Newt to speak. He followed their action and cleared his throat too, adjusting his collar. "Right. Let's get straight to the point. No dilly-dallying." He glanced at Keith. "Your sister, Gail, has broken one of our basic rules. She had lured Astrid into the jungle and attempted to murder her, in a very gruesome way, might I add. Not just that, she also attacked Dusk, and almost killed him. The last time someone did this, namely, Ben, he was banished. Do you have anything to say?" he asked. He knew for a fact that everyone at the Gathering agreed with him. Banishing Gail was in their best interest. But as he looked towards Keith, his gaze softened. The poor kid was going through so much right now. On one hand, his best friend had been attacked. On the other, the attacker had been his sister. Newt couldn't pretend to understand Keith's state, but he could sympathize. However, this was not the time.

Keith sighed. "Newt, why do you ask me? Nothing I say will change your minds. I'm baffled myself as to why Gail would attack Astrid, but if I have ever known even the tiniest shred of my sister, I can tell you that there has to be a reason behind her doing this. She wouldn't attack Astrid for no reason. I'm not defending Gail. But I don't think she did it on purpose."

Newt raised an eyebrow at him. "Didn't do it on purpose? Mate, she was struggling against us to kill her. It seemed like she was hell bent on killing Astrid to me." Newt said. However, he couldn't deny the funny feeling in his chest. Something nagged at the back of his mind. Gail's words, when he'd met her in the Slammer; they wouldn't leave him. He'd written it off as a desperate plea for mercy, and she hadn't said anything further either, but now, on listening to Keith, the gears in his mind started shifting.

"Listen, Keith." A voice said. Newt looked towards the source to find that it was Winston who had spoken. The Slicer had a grim expression. "I know she's your sister. But she broke our fundamental rule. She almost killed Astrid. And even if we listen to you, and we don't banish her, who's to say she won't do it again? She could kill anyone."

Newt nodded his assent. "Winston's right, Keith. Gail's way too dangerous. And she didn't stop at Astrid. Dusk's arm is in a sling right now because of her. Who knows how many people she'll try to kill?" Newt added, turning back to Keith. The boy's head was bowed down. He looked up, and Newt noticed the tears shining in his eyes. He couldn't help but feel bad for the kid. He was clearly trying to keep it together, but the events had been hard on him. he was literally on the verge of breaking.

"I knew nothing I said would change your minds. I honestly don't know why we're having this conversation in the first place. You all agree that you guys should banish Gail. So why the Gathering?" His question was rhetorical. Newt noticed many people shoot him sympathetic glances. Keith didn't deserve to suffer for Gail's mistakes. Newt turned to the Gladers.

"Alright. Anyone else wanna say something, now's the time." He addressed them as a whole. No one spoke. They all agreed. Gail was a threat to their Glade. Their best bet was on getting rid of her. newt nodded, but somehow, he didn't feel all that right. And from the Gladers' expressions, he could tell they didn't either. Something about this whole thing was off, but he couldn't put his finger on it. However, what had to be done, had to be done. "All in favor of banishing Gail?" he asked.

That's when everything went for a toss.

A bone-chilling scream pierced the air. Frypan fell off his chair, and every Glader in the whole room jumped up from their seats. Newt almost followed in Frypan's footsteps. He turned to his side, his brown eyes wide with terror.

The scream had come from Astrid.

Her eyes were so wide, it was frightening. Tears ran down her cheeks once more. Her hands were pressed to the sides of her face. She looked at Newt, shivering. "YOU HAVE TO SAVE HIM! PLEASE! DON'T LET HIM DIE!" She screamed. She reached out and grabbed Newt's shoulders. "Save him please!" She cried, just about bawling. She started to run forward, but Newt grabbed her and pulled her back. He bent down to her eye-level. She was shaking like a leaf. Keith stood beside him, frozen with shock.

"Astrid, calm down! Save who?" Newt asked desperately. Astrid didn't seem to hear him. She covered her mouth with a shivering hand. "NO! STOP! THEY'LL KILL HIM! STOP THEM PLEASE!" She screamed louder, which Newt hadn't thought possible. She fell to her knees. She was an incredible mess, crying her eyes out and screaming at some imaginary people to stop killing someone.

"Astrid, who? Who's killing who? Astrid, please, please, just talk to me!" Newt cried, trying to figure out what caused this state of his sister. However, nothing in this world could have prepared him for what she said next.

"DUSK! SAVE HIM! HE'LL DIE!"

Keith stumbled back. Newt himself was shocked beyond wits, but his emotions were currently not the priority. He needed to get Astrid under control. The girl was practically convulsing on the ground from her sobs. He'd never seen someone crying so badly. He looked up at the Gladers with a look so intense, some actually backed off. "Get Dusk! NOW!" He yelled the order at them. He strung one arm around Astrid and pulled her close. "Astrid, calm down, nothing's happening to Dusk. You'll see, he's perfectly fine. Just calm down, please." He begged her. She didn't. She simply kept sobbing and pleading with them to save Dusk. And Newt thought things couldn't possibly get more confusing.

The door burst open and Dusk ran in, looking around wildly. His eyes fell on Newt and Astrid, and something in his expression changed. He ran towards them. "Dusk, man, she's been beggin' us to save you. She thinks you're being killed. She's been crying like this-"

Dusk gave Newt a look. "I know what this is. Let me handle it." He told him. He took Astrid from Newt's hand and made her look at him. He seemed to be struggling with only one functional hand, but he wasn't letting it get in the way. He tipped Astrid's chin up. "Astrid, I'm fine. They're gone. No one's going to harm me, okay? I'm alright. I'm safe." He pulled her into a tight hug. She cried into his shirt. "But I saw them..." she sniffled. Dusk shushed her gently. "Well, they're gone. I'm safe. Calm down Astrid."

After what felt like ages, Astrid finally stopped crying. She pulled away from Dusk and looked up at him with her blue eyes shining with tears. "Please don't die…" she pleaded. Dusk smiled at her. "I won't. I promise."

Astrid didn't seem very satisfied. "Pinky promise?" she held out the small finger of her right hand. She looked like such a pouty little kid, Newt would've laughed, had the situation not been so confusing and strange. Dusk laughed, obviously amused by her demand. Her wrapped her own pinky around hers. "Pinky promise." He confirmed. That seemed to please Astrid. She beamed at him.

Keith and Newt were simply staring at the two with wide eyes. Newt's brain felt like exploding from all that was going on. He needed some answers. But somehow, no one seemed to have any. Except maybe one person.

Astrid turned towards her brother and hugged him. "Duskie safe! Thanks Newtie!" she cried cheerfully. Newt forced a smile and patted her back. "Well, anything you say, Astrid." He said. She giggled, but didn't let go. But that didn't stop Newt from looking at Dusk. He hoped his expression conveyed what he wanted to say.

He and Dusk needed to have a little talk.

~.~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I KNOW! I'VE BEEN GONE AGES! But I've got them reasons! Please don't kill me! *falls to feet and begs forgiveness***

 **The thing is, I've been working really hard on my website for my other story, the Hunger Games SYOT. And that isn't even the main thing. I've had so many exams the last few days, I haven't had time to write at all. But now my exams are over, so I can write! Huzzah!**

 **Oh and like I mentioned, my website for my other story? Yeah, I finally finished it, and it's published and all, so if y'all want, y'all can go check it out. It's ruinsoftime. weebly. com (delete the spaces). The address is on my profile too. So… yeah. :)**

 **Right. So. 86 reviews.**

 **OHMYGODS I CANNOT BELIEVE IT EIGHTY SIX REVIEWS LIKE ARE Y'ALL KIDDING ME YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME THANK YOU SO MUUUUUUUCH!**

 **And. Time for another… ya know. Me-style thing.**

 **I WATCHED THE SCORCH TRIALS YESTERDAY AND ERMAGERD IT WAS SO FLIPPIN' AWESOME LIKE I CAN'T EVEN BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW AWESOME IT WAS! ALL OF THEM WERE SO PERFECT! MINHO WAS HIS SASSY SELF, THOMAS WAS HIS USUAL CURIOUS SELF, AND NEWT WAS, WELL, NEWT! AND EVEN ARIS WAS AWESOME! EVEN BRENDA! ALL OF THEM WERE SO AWESOME!**

 **Right. The caps lock was on the whole damn time. That's how awesome it was. I mean, yeah, it was different from the book. Like, completely. But taken as the sequel to the maze runner movie, it was amazing. Like, downright amazing.**

 **I'm gonna shut up now.**

 **One thing I wanna ask you. Is this story too confusing? I was thinking of adding another twist, but if it's too confusing, I won't. Do tell me what you think, guys.**

 **Also, you'll find a poll on my profile. Do vote if you have the time to! Thanks so much!**

 **By the way. Whaddya think will happen in the Newt/Dusk talk? Any guesses? ;)**

 **Hope the chapter was good! Sorry for not updating for so long! Stay awesome!**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Hey guys! Back, but with a small chapter. But I liked writing this.. especially-**

 **Aidan: Shush!**

 **Lee: You were about to spoil it doof.**

 **Me: oh yeah. Whoops.**

 **Aidan: -.-**

 **Me: Hey!**

 **Lee: Before Wizard spoils anyhing else, lets move onto the story.**

~.~.~.~.~

"Thomas! Hey, Thomas!" Dusk called out, running towards the new boy. Thomas stopped in front of him and rasped out a few unintelligible words. He was sweating profusely, and looked ready to drop out of exhaustion. Minho ran up to the duo and clapped Thomas on his back. "Already outs breath, ya shank? That won't do, now will it? Runners gotta have a lotta stamina. Not goin' around klunkin' their pants 'cause they're tired." The Asian boy said.

Today had been Thomas' first day running in the Maze. He'd ran with Minho, but it had been hard to keep up with someone who'd run every day for the past three years. Thomas looked like he'd literally dragged the entire homestead around the Maze corridors for a week. He looked up at Dusk, squinting.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice ragged. Dusk laughed. "Man, if you're that tired, I'll just come later or something. It's not a shuck emergency." The Bagger said. Thomas straightened up and shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Tell me, whaddya need?"

Dusk sheathed a knife from his belt. He held it out to Minho, who apparently understood. Thomas only looked at the two, confused. "Why in the world are you taking out a knife?" He asked. Dusk snorted. "It's not to gut you, if that's what you're asking. It's… ceremonial." He seemed to have been searching for the correct word.

Minho grabbed the hem of Thomas' shirt and cut a piece off. Thomas reeled back, but not before Minho'd gotten what he wanted. He smirked and handed the piece of cloth to Dusk, who shoved it in his pocket. On seeing Thomas' expression, he grinned. "If you die in the Maze, this is what we bury. We have a piece stored for every Runner, in case…" he trailed off. Thomas nodded, understanding his words.

"Dusk!" A voice called out. Dusk sighed. He'd been waiting for this. He recognized the voice, of course. No one else in the whole Glade had that accent. He turned to see Newt limping up to their group, a stern expression plastered to his usually calm features. Dusk nodded at Thomas and Minho before walking over to where Newt had stopped, ten yards from them.

"What is it Newt?" He asked, even though he knew exactly what 'it' was. Newt's eyebrows scrunched themselves together. "Don't play innocent, Dusk. You know why I'm here. What happened in there with Astrid?" he asked.

Dusk sighed again. "Newt, I just did my best to help her. And it worked. If you're asking me why Astrid was screaming for me, I don't know. If you're asking me how I knew what to say to calm her down, then I might have an answer for you."

Newt's expression morphed into one of utter surprise. Dusk smiled. "Yeah, I actually have an answer. Is that surprising, or what?" he stated. "The thing is, I've had these… well I don't really know what to call them. Memories? Dreams? I have no clue. In them, it was always Astrid, having the same exact episode, screaming at people to spare me. Apparently she thinks I'm being tortured. And every time, I would comfort her in the same manner. I just assumed it was the correct thing to do in this case too." He ended his huge speech.

"So you're saying you remember something about my sister?" Newt asked. Dusk shook his head. "Not really. It's always the same thing. Astrid having an episode, and me comforting her. I can't say I know anything else."

Newt's face dropped. He'd been expecting a few more answers from Dusk, but the boy apparently knew no more. Dusk smiled and put a hand on Newt's shoulder. "Relax Newt. I know you're worried about Astrid, but you don't needa be. I can guarantee. Nothing's gonna happen to her, not while all of us are around. And honestly, if you want it, I have a piece of advice." He said. Newt looked up at him, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. Dusk smirked.

"Don't tell anyone to get fertilizer."

Newt couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Right you are Dusk. Man, I don't know what I would do in life without your enlightening advice." He said sarcastically. Dusk joined in with his laughter.

They were cut off by another person running up to them. Keith seemed out of breath and a little desperate. He stopped in front of them and put his hands on his knees, panting. He looked up at Dusk. "Hey, Dusk. I really needed some help over by the fields. You think you can help me out?" he asked.

"Why don't you ask someone else, Keith? I don't think I'll be of much help with this one hand." Dusk said, holding up his cast. Keith gave Dusk a wide-eyed look. "No Dusk, I need _your_ help." He said. Dusk almost laughed again. He couldn't have been more obvious. Even newt saw through it. He simply patted Dusk's shoulder with a smirk and walked away after gently ruffling Keith's hair. The latter visibly flinched. It must have felt strange to have such a kind gesture from the person who had just banished your sister.

Keith gestured over to the forest, which wasn't more than twenty yards from where they currently stood. They started walking towards it, feet thudding loudly against the ground. Every step sent a throbbing ache shooting through Dusk's shoulder, but he ignored it. As they entered the forest lining, they sped up, which Dusk didn't exactly appreciate.

After what felt like ages, they finally came to a stop. Dusk leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath. He looked at Keith with a smirk.

"You know, once we entered the forest line, no one would've seen us. You could've just teleported us from there."

Keith's reaction was priceless. He whipped around so fast, Dusk half-expected his head to come off. His green eyes were wide with terror. His breathing was ragged and uneven. He stumbled back, hands stretched out to try and catch hold of a support. He finally caught a branch and steadied himself. He seemed like the world had just been yanked out from under his feet. "What're you talking about!?" He exclaimed in the poorest lie Dusk had ever heard.

"Keith, you are literally the worst lier I've ever come across." He said, smiling at the younger boy. Keith's eyes were moist. It seemed as though someone had just announced his death sentence. Dusk decided that any longer, and Keith would probably have a mental breakdown. "Yes, Keith, I know of your abilities. Astrid's too. And no, before you ask, I've not told anyone and don't plan on doing so either."

Keith took a moment to take it all in. He shut his eyes tight, simply digesting the fact that Dusk knew of his powers. One slip-up, and Dusk could literally kill Keith. But something made Keith hesitate. Dusk wasn't the kind of guy to do that. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at him. His voice was bleak. "H-how do y-you kn-know?" He stammered.

Dusk gave him a sad smile. Slowly, carefully, so as to not hurt his bad arm, Dusk reached down and curled his fingers around the hem of his shirt. He pulled it up in the slightest, but it was enough to show Keith what he needed to see. Keith gasped, all the air stolen from his lungs. He couldn't tear his eyes away from what he was seeing.

Burned into Dusk's flesh, right above his waistline, were five letters.

 _FREAK._

 _~.~.~.~.~.~._

 **A/N: I know, I know. Short chapter. But I really wanted to give you guys something. I'm really tired right now, and I simply didnt have the energy to write more. Plus, I thought the cliffie was interesting ;)**

 **So? What did you think of the twist? And thanks you guys, 91 reviews my gosh. You're awesome. Sorry for the short chapter. Next one will be longer. Promise.**

 **A fellow Glader**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: PLEASE DO NOT KILL ME! I AM LATE, BUT I WAS VERY BUSY! I WILL NEVER ABANDON THIS STORY! I love this story and all you guys way too much.**

 **Aidan: About damned time… again.**

 **Lee: Exactly. You left us with that cliffie.**

 **Me: Well, now I'm here.**

 **Me: And.**

 **Me: 98 REVIEWS! WE'RE ALMOST TO A HUNDRED! AND OVER 9000 VIEWS! YASSSS!**

 **Aidan: YESSSS!**

 **Lee: *throws a party***

 **Me: Yes yes, all that partying will happen. But first let's read, eh?**

 **Lee: Duh.**

 **Me: Right.**

~.~.~.~.~.

Keith could literally hear the air escape his lungs. He stood rooted to the ground, unable to move. It felt as though someone had yanked the world out from beneath his feet. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the mark on Dusk's waist. It matched his perfectly. The five letters that branded him a freak. That branded _them_ freaks.

"You…" Keith managed. Dusk gave him a small smile. It was devoid of any trace of humor. "Yeah. I know. I'm a Freak too." He shifted his shirt down, allowing Keith to finally move his eyes away from the brand. He met Dusk's eyes. "You… were tortured too…?"

Dusk sat down on a nearby rock, knitting his fingers together with his hands resting on his legs. His injured arm seemed to be bothering him a little less now. Keith could hear no sound other than his own ragged breathing. It seemed as though even the forest around them had dropped dead silent. Keith moved forward to where Dusk sat and waited for the boy to speak. He didn't, but he did manage a small nod in Keith's direction.

"How do I not remember you? Does this mean you have talents too? Were you kept in the same place I was?" Keith burst out with all the questions that had been swimming around his mind until now. He probably would have bluttered out any more, but Dusk cut him off with an easy-going laugh.

"Woah there… Calm down kid. Now, you want answers? Then let me do the talking, and you listen." The elder boy ordered. Keith obediently shut up. Dusk took a deep breath and began.

"Yes Keith, I was kept with you at the facility. Like you, I've had memories. I know what happened to me in there. What happened to _us_. But I wasn't the same as you two. I wasn't their mighty weapon. I was an experiment. They needed to confirm that the things they were doing to us wouldn't kill you two off. So they tried an experiment on me. Since they succeeded, they did the same on you two as well. But I was never their aim."

Keith gaped at the boy sitting in front of him. From what he'd heard from Newt when he'd first come here, Dusk had had to endure a difficult past. If on top of that he had been tortured the way Keith and Astrid had… Keith took a shaky breath. He was honestly surprised Dusk could still manage to stand on two legs.

"I remember what they did, Keith." Dusk added. His eyes were bleak. Keith could see the tears shining in them. "After you two came in, they used to torture me and make you guys watch. It was for making you 'emotionally strong'. I still remember that day when they tortured me using electric shocks." He looked up at Keith. "They kept me tied to a chair, and duped ice-cold water on me. I was in a glass room, and you two stood outside, also in chains. Then they continuously gave me electric shocks. I don't recall hearing anything but you two screaming."

"Dusk… I…" Keith, for the first time since what he could remember, was speechless. His past had been traumatic, yes. But What Dusk was saying was inhumane. Astrid must have been remembering this when she'd broken down into her episode. Keith cleared his throat. "How long have you known about Astrid and I?"

Dusk shut his eyes tight and laughed, obviously trying to hide the fact that he'd been reduced to tears. "You mean other than by my memories? It isn't really that hard to notice you know. You guys make it pretty obvious."

Keith could feel the color drain out of his skin. His eyes bulged wide. Dusk looked at him and burst out laughing, much to Keith's confusion. "Gosh, relax Keith. I was joking. Ever heard of that? A joke?"

Keith stared at Dusk for a little bit more. How this guy could still smile, Keith didn't know. But he currently had more pressing topics on his mind. "So Dusk… if you were an experiment, does that mean you don't have any abilities?" he asked. Dusk laughed again, a little sourly. "Oh, I wouldn't say that."

Before Keith could say anything, Dusk whipped out a knife from his belt, so fast, Keith could barely register the motion. One moment the knife was in his hand, and the other, Keith could hear the sound of the blade embedding itself in wood. As Keith's brain caught up with the situation, he saw the knife stuck in the tree beside Dusk. He looked at the latter. "You can stick knives in trees?"

"Oh yeah, I was tortured for three years and my talent is sticking knives in trees. No, Keith. Look closer." Dusk ordered. Keith walked forward and leaned in, to see closer. Keith didn't think anything could surprise him more that what he already had faced. He was dead wrong.

Stuck at the edge of the knife, impaled by the weapon to the tree, was a fly. Keith could see its wings give a last flutter as the life left the insect. This was crazy. No way could any human be that accurate. And Dusk had barely glanced up. He'd sliced the fly right across its tiny little stomach. Dusk's voice drew Keith's attention back to him.

"Animal-like reflexes and senses. That's what they gave e. They needed someone who could react with the speed and accuracy of an animal. I honestly haven't seen animals be so accurate, but that's what they told me. I don't have any jaw-dropping power like you or Astrid, but at least mine is sorta easy to hide. People just think I'm skilled." Dusk explained. This boy had surprised Keith beyond words. First declaring himself as one of them. Then his abilities. Keith knew for a fact that Dusk would be a formidable adversary in a fight. With his accuracy and speed, he could be a true 'weapon', as their tormentors had called them.

"The man who tortured us… do you remember him?" Keith asked. Dusk laughed yet again, but this laugh was unbelievably bitter. "Remember the guy who literally stole my freedom? Yeah, I think I do." He said. Keith almost exhaled. Then, as he'd done so far, Dusk dropped another bomb on Keith.

"It's not every day you see a man who can look his own son in the eyes and torture him for some experiment."

~.~.~.~.

Gail blew her hair out of her face. This was getting increasingly frustrating. She couldn't just sit here and do nothing, waiting for her fate to come to her. She needed to act. She knew any false move could adversely affect Keith. Whatever she was going to do, she needed to do carefully.

She had a plan, of course. It was dangerous, stupid, and even more dangerous. But then again, it was her plan. She surprised herself with the ability to come up with that much in itself. She wasn't usually one for plans and thinking stuff out. She was one for action. But this was the question of her brother's life. She needed to be cautious.

Gail took a deep breath and adjusted the eye-patch on her eye. The thing was bothersome, but she'd gotten used to it. Plus she didn't really want to broadcast her disgusting scarred eye. It was better off covered. She slowly walked over to the bars of the Slammer.

She'd overheard a conversation of two Gladers not mere moments ago. Astrid was resting for the day in the infirmary. She almost laughed at their stupidity. How easily they'd told her what she needed to know. All she needed to do now was get out of this damned Slammer. And she had a plan for that too.

She leaned against the bars of the Slammer and looked at the person who was on guard. They didn't usually have guards, but since she was the first girl who's been thrown in there, they'd made an exception. He caught her staring at him and raised an eyebrow. "What?"

Gail didn't recall his name, but it didn't really matter. "I'm really sorry, but I needed your help." She asked in the most pleading voice she could muster. "I haven't been to the washroom in a whole day. I really need to go. Please, I know you can help me. Just let me out, I promise I won't do anything." She knew this was lame, but this made sense.

"I'm not falling for that." The boy simply said. Gail forced her eye to tear up. "Please, just one quick trip. I won't be long. And you lead me to them as well, because I don't remember where they are. Besides, my hands are tied. There's not much I can do." she held up her tied wrists. Hidden in the shadows of the Slammer, the boy couldn't see that her bounds were loose, and she'd managed to wriggle her way out of them. He looked unsure.

"Newt let you go once before." he pondered. He looked her way, eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Fine girlie. I don't think I'll be able to answer the keepers if something happens to you in here. God knows what might. I'll let you out, but I'm warning you. No smart moves, or you're getting thrown back in, and I'm callin' over Newt." The boy warned. Gail had to stop herself from laughing. This was way too easy. She settled for a grateful smile. "Thank you." She said politely. The boy seemed a little confused by her sudden kind behavior, but he shrugged it off.

He opened the door of the Slammer and held out his hands. Gail put her 'bound' wrists in them and let him pull her out of the prison. She took a moment to breathe in the fresh air and let her eyes adjust to the bright sunlight. Then she turned to the boy and smiled a sickly sweet smile. The boy stepped back, obviously surprised.

Gail shook off her bounds and lunged forward. The boy tried to run, but Gail didn't let him. She grabbed his neck and yanked him towards her. She slammed her head into his, immediately knocking him unconscious. The boy slumped to the floor, out of the way for the moment. However, Gail knew she didn't have too long before someone found out. She shrugged at the boy.

"Nothing personal."

She turned away and sneered.

 _Astrid, you better hide. Because I'm coming for you…_

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I KNOW! I'm late! Again! Sorry! I'm really busy, so once again, this author's note will be short. But I really hope you enjoyed the chapter! I loved writing it for y'alls awesome peeps. Hope you liked it! Please tell me what you thought! Stay awesome!**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: OHMYGOSH I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING IN A GAZZILION AGES PLEASE FORGIVE ME! I've been on a vacation, so I sincerely apologize for the late update.**

 **Aidan: We've missed you Wizard. We need someone to annoy.**

 **Me: Wow, that's heartwarming, really.**

 **Lee: BUT. WIZARD. 100 REVIEWS.**

 **Me: IJUSTKNOWRIGHTOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMG!**

 **Lee: …**

 **Me: Shout out to greanbean421 for being my 100** **th reviewer! And to all of you for being so supportive!**

~.~.~.~.~.

"Why is Keethee sad?" Astrid's voice was soft, somewhat of a treat to Keith's tormented ears. He turned around and gave her a wry smile. "Nothing Astrid. I'm just…" He hesitated. Astrid didn't need to know what was going on. Oblivion was bliss. He didn't want to burden her with worry. He forced his lips to smile wider. "Nothing."

Astrid didn't seem convinced. He was mixing the medicines for some serum Clint had ordered him to make. Clint and Jeff were giving Alby his final treatment; the boy was almost perfectly fine. However, they needed to give Astrid something for her neck too. Thus, Clint had explained everything to Keith and had him make the serum. Keith didn't mind. It gave him time to think.

He still couldn't believe Dusk was a Freak. His talents weren't as strange as his and Astrid's, but they were strange indeed. And if Dusk had been telling the truth about his past, Keith simply didn't see how the boy hadn't collapsed from distress. He rested his hands against the edge of the bed and sighed. Why couldn't anything go correctly in this place? Everything that had happened seemed to pose another threat to Astrid and himself. He turned around and looked at her. She was playing with the hem of the bed sheet, humming happily.

"Astrid…" He muttered, as he walked over to her and pulled her into a hug. He buried his face in her hair, not caring whether he surprised her or not. He needed a friend. He was falling apart, and he needed someone who held him together. "Keethee?" Astrid muttered, her voice muffled by his shoulder, where her head rested. He shook his head. He didn't really want to talk right now. He simply needed some time.

And just when he'd started to calm down, everything decided to fall apart.

A crash sounded from outside, followed by a scream. Keith recognized the voice. He quickly pulled away from Astrid. "Newt!" He ran towards the door, but to his surprise, it crashed open. He drew in a breath.

Gail stood three feet in front of him, her eye patch ripped off and dangling from one ear. In her hand was a broken bloody glass bottle. He looked past her to see Newt collapsed on the ground, his head bleeding. Gail was breathing hard, and her expression was ferocious. She seemed unstable. Her left eye made Keith long for the patch. It was ugly and red and basically disgusting.

"Gail… whatever you're planning to do, stop right there." He warned. He needed to stall her. People would've been here any moment. Gail glared at him. She looked like the personification of terror right now. Her face couldn't have been scarier.

"Keith, I'm going to say this once." She growled. "Back off."

She glared at Astrid. "I've got some unfinished business." She took a step forward but Keith stepped between her and Astrid, holding out his hands. "Gail, please, listen to me." He pleaded. He couldn't let his sister simply kill his best friend. Gail looked him in the eye. "I said BACK OFF!" She shoved him aside and tightened her grip on the broken glass bottle. Astrid had backed up to the post of the bed, and was frozen with fear. Gail sized her up as she approached her.

"Don't think this is personal kid. I have to save Keith." She said. She raised the bottle high, aiming to drive it into Astrid's skull, when suddenly, a hand came from nowhere and gripped her own.

The bottle feel from her hand and crashed on the floor. Astrid was cringing, her hands poised over her head to protect it. Gail looked to the side to see who stopped her, to face them, even kill them if necessary. However, when she did see their face, she felt her throat tighten.

Keith stepped to the side, putting himself between Astrid and Gail. His firm grip on his sister's hand did not change. His eyes were hard. Gail had no idea how he'd gotten there so quickly, but she could do nothing but stare into her brother's green eyes. Keith snarled.

"You want Astrid, you go through me. I'm not letting you kill her Gail. I don't care what I have to do. I'm keeping her safe."

Keith's words were literally like a blow to Gail. She stumbled back as Keith let go of her hand. She'd never seen her brother so angry; Keith had never seen his sister look so broken. He felt guilty for saying those things, but he knew he was doing the correct thing. Gail fell to her knees, a tear running down her cheek. She looked betrayed and shattered.

"You're my brother…" She said, her voice breaking on the word _brother_. "I did this for you…"

"Why? Why would you want to kill Astrid to protect me?" Keith begged his sister for an answer Gail shut her eye, pressing her lips tightly together. Keith straightened up, letting a blank expression take over his features. "That's what I thought." He said, his voice tight. His very heart was shattering inside, but he couldn't break down in front of Gail.

He watched as the door crashed open again, and Minho, Thomas and Stan ran in. Jeff was supporting Newt who held his hand to his head, keeping the blood out of his eyes. Minho and Thomas ran forward and seized Gail's arms, yanking her up. She didn't even resist. She simply looked at Keith with an expression of betrayal. He turned away. If he looked at her again he would surely snap.

Minho and Thomas began dragging Gail away. Much to Thomas' surprise, Gail did not resist even a little. She'd gone limp. It was as if Keith stopping her (they'd figured out what had happened from the state of things) had completely broken her. She didn't have the ability to fight any more. However, before they could pull her out, Newt stepped in front of her and stopped them. He took off his hand from his head and latched onto her collar, pulling her close. She stared into his eyes blankly.

"I was hesitating about banishing you, but no more. You're being banished tonight."

Gail's eyes cleared in the least. She looked harder into Newt's eyes.

"Keep Keith safe."

Newt pulled away. He couldn't stand being in this girl's presence for any moment longer. He simply looked at Minho, who understood immediately. "Come on Girlie. This aint no place for psychos." He said as they pulled Gail away.

Keith watched as his sister was dragged away, probably for being banished. His lower lip trembled. She was going to die because of him. Guilt crashed down on him as his hands shook. Astrid touched his shoulder and turned him to face her. She opened her mouth to say something, but keith cut her off by tackling her once again into a hug.

And that's when he broke down completely, his tears wetting her shoulder.

~.~.~.

Dusk stood clutching his knife harder than he could ever remember holding it. He couldn't believe this. This was like Cole all over again. He was going to cut the strip of cloth from Gail's shirt. He was going to watch his best friend be Banished. Helplessly. He shut his eyes and took deep breaths. What use were his talents if he couldn't even save his friend?

The faint sound of treads tickled Dusk's ultra sensitive ears and he immediately looked in their direction. Minho and Gail appeared, Minho dragging Gail by her bounds. Her hands had been tied behind her back, and her mouth had been gagged. Her initial thin jacket had been abandoned, leaving her in only a sleeveless tank top, exposing her somewhat muscled arms and scars. Her visible skin was caked in a layer of mud and dirt. Tears cleared a path for themselves in the dirt on her face. She looked at Dusk with helplessness oozing from her gaze. Dusk shut his eyes again and looked away.

But of course, he couldn't stay that way. "Dusk! Do your thing. Though I don't know why we need to honor her." Minho snarled, giving Gail a jolt to let her know what he meant. She didn't say anything, but Dusk could see the tears increase in number. He walked over to her with stiff steps. He was trying his level best to keep a straight face, but it wasn't easy. Minho dragged Gail to her spot in front of the doors and in between the circle of keepers, and pushed her down to her knees. He didn't even untie her arms.

"There's no telling what Psycho might do. Dusk, just get the cloth and be done with it. I could live a long life without seeing her face." He sneered. Dusk stepped forward, pretty much shaking from the effort of trying not to break down. He knelt next to Gail and caught hold of the hem of her shirt. He didn't look at her. It would tear him apart. He took out a knife and sliced off a piece of cloth.

"Get back." Minho ordered, as the grinding noise of the doors closing cut through Dusk's heart like a knife. A single tear made its way down his cheek, but he backed up.

"POLES!" A voice said. Dusk looked to see Newt in Alby's position. Alby mustn't have been strong enough to do this. And Newt looked terrible. He must have been crying, which could be seen in his eyes. His expression was one full of hate. However, something told Dusk the hate wasn't entirely towards Gail. Newt, like him, was breaking from the situation. Keith hadn't come to the Banishing. Clint had told Duks that he was simply sitting in one place, staring at a wall blankly. Dusk felt terrible for the kid.

He could only watch as Gail struggled to her feet, only to be pushed towards the doors as the circle of Keepers closed in. Gail couldn't even scream due to her gag; she only made guttural noises of an animal. The scene was the perfect picture of _horrifying_.

Newt, the lead Keeper, gave Gail a final push and she stumbled into the doors. With the massive gray structures of stone closing down on her, and Newt blocking one of her exits, she had no choice but to start stepping into the maze. Tears ran freely down her cheeks as she shook violently with her sobs. Dusk had never seen a scene quite so heart wrenching.

But Fate wasn't done with them quite yet.

As Dusk watched in horror, the vines on one of the spikes of the door got entangled in Gail's bounds around her waist. Gail tried desperately to free it, but with her hands bound and her mouth gagged, she was completely powerless. The doors continued to shut, closing in on Gail. Her fingers were bleeding from clawing at the tangled vines, but she couldn't do anything with her bound wrists. She tried screaming for help, but all that came was a muffled plea. She shook the tangled vine violently, but nothing happened. Gail could see Death approaching her as the doors came closer together, almost squashing her.

Dusk stood rooted to the ground in terror. This couldn't be happening again. Cole's face flashed in front of his eyes. He'd lost one best friend to this. And now he was going to lose another. His whole body trembled. The doors were almost touching Gail's sides. Her being was a picture of desperation and helplessness.

He couldn't do this. He couldn't lose another friend like this. He'd ade the mistake once. He wasn't about to make it again.

Dusk grabbed a large knife from a Keeper, and before anyone could react, or he could stop and think about this again, he lunged forward. He pushed Newt away from the entrance into the Maze and ignored the boy's cries of protest. Gail looked at him with pleading eyes, but Dusk didn't waste time. The door pushed against his back. He raised his knife and sliced downward.

The vines fell away and so did Gail's bounds. No normal person would have been able to hit it with that amount of accuracy, but Dusk wasn't normal. He was a Freak.

The doors pressed into their sides, the spikes driving themselves into their flesh. Dusk pushed Gail forward with every bit of strength he could find in himself, and she fell to the other side, safe for the moment. But the doors were too close together, almost a foot from completely shutting. And Dusk was still trapped.

He let out a yell that was probably the loudest he ever had, as he felt one of the spiked enter his waist. But Gail wasn't about to watch as her only friend died. She latched onto Dusk's shirt with her bound wrists and pulled with all her strength. The spike took a chunk of flesh off Dusk's waist, but Gail managed to pull him through as the doors shut.

Dusk couldn't help it, he collapsed on the ground, clutching his waist. "It hurts! Gail do something! God IT HURTS!" He screamed. The piece of flesh missing was about the size of three fingers put together, but the main issue was the depth to which the spike had sunk. But they couldn't do anything about that right now. Dusk looked at Gail as she fell to her knees and buried her face in her hands, uncontrollably sobbing. Ignoring his maddening pain, he crawled over to her. She barely glanced up before throwing her arms around him.

She buried her face in his shirt and let her tears flow. Dusk looked at the doors with tear-filled eyes. These doors had shut their way into the Glade and opened the gate into the night of horrors that lay in wait for them.

~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I am so so so so so sorry. I swear, this wasn't supposed to be a cliffhanger. But… it sorta just happened. Seriously though. Sorry guys.**

 **But you guys are amazing. Thanks so much for all the support y'all. I promise I'll update as soon as I find the time. Yeah, this AN is short. Sorry about that. But I hope you liked the chapter! I loved writing it for y'all so I hope it was good!**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY FOR THE TERRIBLY LATE UPDATE! I swear I haven't given up on this. I promise. Oh and since this update was late, I decided to skip the reactions and go to DA MAAAAAZE! DUN DUN DUUUUUUN!**

 **Aidan: *skims through chapter***

 **Lee: *glares***

 **Aidan: Wizard. I feel BAD for your characters. Like TERRIBLE. Poor poor characters...**

 **Lee: Dayum, Wizard, you iz evaaal.**

 **Me: Hehe. I guess I am.**

 **Me: Maybe a little too evil.**

 **Me: ...**

 **Aidan: Right. Let's just ignore Wizard for now and read, how about?**

 **~.~.~.~.**

Dusk's shirt was completely red. He was losing a lot of blood. Had he not been a Freak, he'd have died by now. However, due to 'training', he'd learnt to be resistant to injuries. Sure, it hurt. But he could hold out against it. The spike of the door had taken off a fair amount of flesh from his waist, and he wasn't going to heal in a flash.

"Dusk, please tell me you're not dying." Gail pleaded from beside him. He only managed a small laugh. "I'm not dying." He said, looking at her. He gave her a small smile, one that he didn't see returned. "Hey, Gail, look at me." He said, stopping in his tracks. Dusk had one arm around Gail's shoulder as she supported his weight. He didn't like being a burden, but every time he tried to persuade Gail, she'd slap him across his face and give him her trademark glare, which shut him up instantly. They'd wrapped up Dusk's injured part with his jacket, and used the sleeve of that jacket to fashion a makeshift eye-patch for Gail.

Gail, forced to stop, looked at him. "What?" She huffed. Dusk put his hand on her cheek. "Listen to me. I know we're in the Maze. I know we're both injured. And I know the chances of us surviving are slim. But we can't give up so soon. We have to try." He said, his voice soft. Dusk could see the worry etched into Gail's green eye. She was putting on a stoic front, but he knew it was simply a façade. She was burning from worry inside.

"Dusk, you don't need to tell me that. I know we're getting outta here. It's you I'm worried about. I'm not walking out those doors tomorrow morning with a corpse." She stated. Dusk laughed. "Gail, look at me. My flesh was cut off. My blue shirt is now red. You really think I'll make it through the night?"

Gail shoved Dusk's arm off her shoulder and pinned him roughly against a wall. She blocked his throat with her hand and leaned in as close as she could to let Dusk see the determination on her features. "You listen to me Dusk. I don't remember much from my past life, but nothing that can give a scar like mine is very good. And something tells me that you have faced horrors in your past too. Horrors that none of us can fathom. And we've gotten our effin' butts through that. And if we can do that, I'm not letting us be taken down by a bunch of gray walls and some damned arachnoids. No can do." She ordered. Dusk would have said something, but with Gail so close, he didn't have much of a diubt that she could hurt him really bad if she wanted to. He simply nodded.

Gail let go and pulled his arm around her neck once more. Dusk stopped her. "Gail, this won't work." Before she could threaten him again, he quickly added "I have a plan."

That quirked her interest. She turned to face him and raised an eyebrow. "Look, I know the Griever can climb walls, but I've seen the width of these walls. They barely manage to keep themselves on top, and that they can only do for a short distance. A little bit of unbalance, and they'll topple over. Yeah, they can grab onto the vines, but some vines aren't strong enough to reach the top. I've asked Minho and Thomas, and I know that the Grievers' main weakness is their slow reflex."

Gail was slowly seeing what Dusk wanted to do. "So you want us to climb to the top of one of the walls, and if a Griever comes, we push it off. 'Risky' doesn't even come close to describing that." She critiqued. Dusk laughed. "Look at our situation Gail. I think it calls for a little risky."

Gail smirked. "Well then, I'm the one. Risky is my middle name." She said as she punched Dusk's arm. With a jump, she latched her fingers onto the nearest vines and started climbing. She'd pinned the sole weapon they had to her back with her sleeve. "Come on shuck-face!" She yelled down to Dusk. Dusk couldn't help but laugh. "Gail, Glader slang really doesn't suit you." He called out as he started climbing, slowly, but steadily. "Oh yeah? How about this?" She launched into strings of the worst profanities Dusk had heard in quite a while. He simply shook his head again. "Yeah, stick with the Glader slang."

As the two reached the top, after what felt like ages of climbing, Gail was sure her arm was going to fall off. Dusk groaned. The bleeding seemed to have been slowed. Gail was amazed at how Dusk still managed to keep walking with all that blood out of his system. Little did she know that Dusk had endured years of torture to have his body become resistant to pains this small.

Suddenly, Dusk's ears picked up on a noise. It was faint, but it was there without a doubt. He shot to his feet and pulled Gail up with him. "Dusk, what…?" she seemed confused. Dusk held a finger to his lips. Dread settled down on him. "Lord, no…" he muttered. Without further ado, he sprinted forward, pulling Gail along. They were running on the top of the walls, over sixty feet above the ground. One misstep could lead to their deaths. But Dusk's animal senses insured that not happening. He could pretty much analyze every nook and crinny of the place before stepping. The throbbing pain in his waist was almost enough to put him down, but he'd endured worse.

"Dusk, where are we-" Gail's sentence was cut off mid-way by the most dreaded sound they could hear. The whirring of Griever legs. Gail's eyes widened. She shot Dusk a look of pure terror. He pressed his lips together and took a deep breath. They started off again.

On the walls they ran. The breaks in the walls weren't big enough for them not to jump over. Dusk didn't dare look down, because he knew that looking over would make his mind spin.

Suddenly, Dusk skidded to a stop so sudden that Gail bumped straight into him. He reached out and helped her stand, and then held a finger to his lips. Gail raised her eyebrow, and Dusk pointed down. She looked over and her heart just about stopped.

A Griever was pacing on the ground, directly below them. As Gail's horror grew, the Griever looked up and spotted them. It let out a shriek and started clawing at the vines.

"DUSK RUN!"Gail yelled. She dashed forward, but Dusk held her back. "It's no use. It'll just follow us. We have to fight it." He stated gravely. She slapped him again. "Are you out of your effin' mind!? You're half dead and I'm just about ready to collapse! We can't fight a bloody Griever!"

The Griever was coming closer. Dusk took Gail's shoulders. "Listen Gail. I have a plan." He quickly sprayed out the details. She looked at him with wide eyes. "That's crazy stupid. You're gonna die! What about our pushing-off plan!?" Dusk laughed.

"Thanks for the vote of Confidence Gail. Our pushing-off plan won't work. The Griever is much bigger than I thought. We'll fall over ourselves. Trust me. I can do this. Just trust me." He said. He slid out his two pocket knives. Gail shook her head, telling him how stupid she thought it was, him fighting a Griever with pocket knives. She didn't know that he wasn't any better than a Griever. He'd been tortured into doing things with weapons as simple as a fork. Things that Gail couldn't even imagine. Dusk sighed. The Grievr was slipping due to the uneven thickness of the vines, but it was making progress all the same.

"Stay up here, okay?" Dus ordered Gail as she took out the machete. Dusk smiled at her. He turned around to start climbin down, when Gail stopped him. She grabbed his shoulders and spun him around. She yanked him into the tightest hug she'd ever remembered giving anyone. "Don't you bloody die on me." She ordered to Dusk's surprised expression. He let out an unsure laugh. "I'll try my best your Highness."

He gripped the vines and he swung himself over. He could see Gail atop the wall, her hands on her hips, her expression flaunting worry. He steadied his pumping heart. He had to do this.

"OI!" He yelled, succesfully diverting the Griever's attention towards himself. He climbed down as fast as his legs could carry him, the vines shakin as the Griever tried to follow him. He leapt off the vines a foot off the ground, and readied his knives as the Griever jumped off and snarled at him. The froth dripped from its mouth and made Dusk want to throw up.

"Come at me."Dusk managed in what he hoped was a snarky voice. It came out as a squeaky toy voice. So much for being valiant.

Dusk could feel his senses go on high alert. He could see every muscle in the Griever's body rippling. He could hear every gear that whirred. He knew where the Griever would jump next.

As the Griever leapt to the left, Dusk launched himself to his right. He raised his leg and pushed off the wall. He landed on the Griever's head and the beast shrieked. It tried to shake him off, but Dusk dug his knives in, using them as handholds. However, the Griever apparently didn't like someone using it as a masage chair. It raised its leg to stab Dusk, and Dusk saw no choice. He tore out his knives and rolled off the Griever's back. He watched as the Griever's tail stabbed through its own back.

That simply annoyed the Griever more. It growled and leapt at Dusk. Before Dusk could leap away, it pinned him to the ground using the weight of its bulbous body. Dusk could feel one knife skitter out of his hand. As the Griever opened its mouth to do who-knows what, Dusk could see his death engraved in those razor-sharp teeth. One of the Griever's legs was pressing down on his waist, right where the flesh had been torn off. Dusk could feel a guttural yell escape him. Red spread across his vision.

He'd felt pain before. He was acustomed to pain. But he wasn't going down like this. He glared right into the Griever's beady eyes.

"DO IT GAIL!"

He hoped to God Gail's timing was correct. Dusk's voice was enough. Gail leapt off where she hung from the vines and held her machete above her head as se fell through the air.

She could feel the the weapon sinking into the Griever's neck as she fell on its head. She hadn't ceased her yell that she'd begun on the vines. She could feel the Griever's body go slack as its head dislodged itself and rolled away. Dusk slid out from beneath the monster as it collapsed. Gail jumped off.

She didn't say anything, simply leaned against a wall and slid to her knees. Dusk did the same beside her. The stared at each other for a moment before busting out laughing. Neither of them knew why they were laughing. All they knew was that they were.

"What's that?" Gail asked, once both had caught their breaths. She fingered something on Dusk's neck, what seemed to be a locket. Dusk let her feel it before sighing. "A-D. What's that mean?" She asked again.

"Well, D stands for Dusk, and A… A stands for Ashlyn. Or Ash, as I called her." he answered. Gail looked at him. "Who's that?"

Dusk's eyes darkened. "She's from my past." He said. Gail could tell this was a touchy subject, but she wanted to know. "You got this locket from the Creators?"

"Came up with it."

"You remember stuff from your past?"

Dusk sighed again. "Bits and pieces, yeah. I remember her. I remember that she was my best friend." He stopped abruptly and shut his eyes. Gail put a hand on his shoulder. "What else?" she asked softly. He gulped.

"I remember that I killed her."

~.~.~.~.

 _He's chained to two rugged looking posts. Screams. That's all he hears. Her screams. They wrench his ears and choke his heart. Her once beautiful features now marred with the scars of torture. She screams a name; his name. He can hear it reverberate through the room._

 _The man, the embodiment of evil walks up to him. He jerks Dusk's head up by his hair and leans in close to his face. Dusk can see every drop of malice in his eyes. Tortured and beaten until his back is nothing more than a slab of raw meat, his shirt torn away. Dusk's face bleeds everywhere. But he hasn't succumbed just yet. He hasn't given up._

" _You see, boy? You see what we're doing to her? This, Dusk, is your final test. Prove yourself to me." Gray says as he lets go of Dusk's hair. Dusk wants to ask his Father what it was he did to deserve this monstrous torture._

 _He watches as the men drag Ashlyn and throw her at his feet. He wants to hold her, to tell her it'll be fine, but he can see it isn't. They've tortured her to no end. Her blonde hair sticks to her head in red blood. Her eyes hold nothing but pain. She's crying, but her tears have disappeared under the blood that cakes her face. Dusk doesn't even want to analyze what else they've done to her._

 _Suddenly Dusk can feel his bounds give away. He falls to his knees in front of Ash and pulls her into a hug. Where their skin chafes, it burns, but the comfort of having his best friend overcomes that. She cries into his shoulder, muttering gibberish. She's never faced this torture. Dusk has grown used to it. Ash hasn't._

" _Why are you doing this?" Dusk asks in a weak voice as he looks up at Gray. "I'm your son!" his voice breaks. Gray sneers. "You're no son of mine." He answers. Dusk shuts his eyes, as the tears spill over. He pulls away from Ash._

" _You can stop this, Dusk. You can help her." Gray says. Dusk looks at him, asking his question silently._

" _You have to kill her."_

 _Dusk feels his whole world go for a spin at his Father's words. Ash breaks down once again as Dusk stares at his Father. "What!?" he exclaims. He can't believe his ears. This can't be happening. Pain rips through his heart. He has endured torture, but this is like nothing he's ever felt before. Ash looks into his eyes, blue meeting brown. Her eyes hold acceptance and defeat._

" _If you don't, we'll only keep torturing her until she dies. You can end it early. You can do her a favor. And Dusk, don't even think about shooting yourself. You know I like seeing people in pain, and this girl will provide excellent entertainment." Gray snarls. Dusk can feel the tears as the run in torrents down his cheeks._

" _Dusk, look at me." Ash says as she moves his face to her level. "You have to do this. It's what I want. Don't make me go through their torture anymore. I know this is being a coward, but I can't take it anymore. Please Dusk. Please." She begs. Dusk can feel one of the men roughly slide a gun into his hands. He grips the barrel tight, not believing the moment. His best friend, and now he has to shoot her? How can she expect him to do that?_

 _But he knows this is what she wants. This is what he should do for her. He's saving her by killing her. It tears his very heart into pieces. It hurts like no other torture. But this is it. He has to do it._

 _Ash touches his face and pulls him close to give him a small kiss on his cheek, as Dusk loads the gun. They're both sobbing as the men watch the two best friends. She pulls him into a tight hug and he places the barrel to her forehead. She whispers two words in his ear, and he only cries harder. Her hand is over his own on the trigger of the gun because she knows he can't do it himself. As she tightens her arm around him, she pulled the trigger._

 _The gunshot echoes throughout the room as her body falls to the floor. Dusk collapses to his hands, holding her limp corpse. He's crying like he has never before. The pain isn't physical. It's emotional. As he holds her closer, her last words echo in his ears._

" _Thank you."_

 _~.~.~.~.~._

WICKED Headquarters:

Ava Paige sat back in her chair as she watched Gail and Dusk on the Maze floor laughing. She sighed. This was unjust. Dusk had gone through unimaginable tortures, and now, she simply couldn't bring herself to send another Griever after them. She knew from the amount of blood Dusk had lost that the chances of him making it through the night were slim.

"Jansen." She called. The man beside her turned to face her. She took a deep breath.

"Shut down the Grievers for tonight."

"Excuse me?" Jansen asked, obviously unsure of what she'd just said. She glared at him. "Did you not hear me? I said shut down the Grievers for tonight."

"Paige, we've never shut down the Grievers. Why now? Why for these two?" Jansen asked, figuring out her reason. She shook her head. "The boy has endured things none of us can imagine. He's been tortured by his own father for three _years_ Jansen. He's been forced to kill his best friends. We needed his killzone responses and now we have them. Shut the damn Grievers for tonight or I will."

Jansen sighed. He knew Paige wasn't one to be ruled by emotion. But even he admitted defeat. Dusk had endured monstrosities. He had goosebumps thinking of the times he'd gone to check their progress. Even Keith and Astrid, two _kids_ hadn't been spared. He sighed. "Only this once, Paige. No other exceptions." He said. She nodded curtly.

Jansen picked up the intercom to give the orders to shut down the Grievers.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Right. I loved this chapter so much... I mean, it was sad... very... but I loved writing it. I was listening to Stay by Mayday Parade while writing the scene with Dusk and Ashlyn and I felt terrible... the song's amazing and it fits the situation and it made me sad. :(**

 **But yeah! Please tell me what you thought! I love your reviews so much omg I cant even say. They make me happier than.. than... I dont even know. YOU GUYS ARE SO AWESOME! :"D**

 **Oh and as a response to CheetahGirl9X9, of course read the reviews! I dont just read them, I re-read them so many times! You guys just make me so happy! :")**

 **And many of you've been asking me this. Keith and Astrid's powers will be revealed in good time. I have the whole story planned out, and well, its nearing the end and their powers will be shown. Also, question.**

 **Who is your favorite OC in this story? It can be anyone who wasnt originally in the books.**

 **But yeah. You guys are amazing. Thanks for so mich support y'all. Hope you liked this chapter! :D**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: So sorry for the late update! Life's been hectic, and I'm juggling two stories, so yeah… But here it is! This chapter is mean. Like, really really mean. But hope you guys like it! 118 reviews! YOU GUYS ARE WAY TOO AWESOME!**

 **Me: *stares off into space* I'm evil…**

 **Aidan: Um, what?**

 **Me: I'm evil…**

 **Lee: Okay, Wizard, what's gotten into you?**

 **Me: I'm very evil… I feel terrible…**

 **Aidan: Uh oh… that don't give me nice little cotton candy feelings about this chapter…**

 **Lee: Agreed bruh.**

 **Me: *sighs* I'm so sorry….**

 **Lee: Okay, now I have to read this…**

 **Aidan: Yeah, let's get to the story. *to readers* Read on! :)**

~.~.~.~.

 _Keith is bound once again to chains, his back nothing more than a pain-filled mass of blood. Lacerations are what he has become accustomed to. The whip on his back feels like it's a part of his body. He knows Pain so well, every time they meet is like the meetings of two age old embittered enemies._

 _Astrid is in front of him, holding a gun with shaking hands. Target practice. That's what they're calling it. The dummies are more lifelike than one would like. For every time Astrid misses, Keith is whipped three times. Astrid's bullets have only hit the head or heat five times. She's missed ten times. Keith has suffered the result._

 _Astrid shakes with silent sobs. "Please, I've hit the vital places, please let us go for today." She begs. Gray stands beside her, his smile evident in all his evil glory. Keith doesn't recall ever meeting a man quite so heartless and cruel. "You've hit the vital organs five times, sweetheart. We're going to need better than that. Or you see your friend over there? He'll be nothing more than a blood stain on the floor. Not like he isn't close already." Gray threatens. Astrid lets loose a shaky sob and fires again, hitting the eye this time. Gray smirks._

" _Well, I think we've done enough with dummies, don't you?" he asks. Astrid's features light up; she obviously assumes he means to let them go. Keith doesn't think so. Gray isn't a man like that. Sure enough, he's proven correct._

" _How about using actual humans as targets?"_

 _Astrid's eyes grow wide in horror as a lanky person is dragged in, a black cloth wrapped around their head. Like Keith, the person seems tortured. It's impossible to even tell the gender, but Keith guesses it's a female. He can also guess the person is gagged under the bag, due to the muffled cries of protest._

" _Sir, I can't! I can't knowingly kill a person for target practice!" Astrid protests. Gray sneers and grabs her hair, pulling her closer as she yelps. Keith tries to protest, but feels the whip again. "Listen, Freak. I'm training you to become the perfect weapons. That's what we're doing, okay? And when you're a weapon, you must kill people. This ain't target practice. This is practice killing people. I can't have you bawling after shooting someone. So DO IT!" he yells at her and throws her back._

 _Astrid doesn't lift the gun, and Gray's sneer grows wider. "Fine then."_

 _Suddenly, it feels as though Keith's body erupts in agony. Every nerve screams in pain. He has known pain, but this is searing. He can feel his eyeballs burning in his head. Electric shocks, that's what they're giving him. He can feel his limbs scrunch up to his body by it. He starts seeing white, not even being able to scream, when it all ends and he collapses to the floor, vomiting. The vomit mixes with his blood, and he moves away in order to avoid it. His sight is disgusting, but so is his state._

" _STOP!" Astrid screams. She's crying by now, trying to reach Keith but being held back by Gray. "Do it, or we'll keep doing that to him." Gray threatens. Astrid straightens up and tightens her fingers around the gun. Shakily, she holds it up in the direction of the person. "Astrid… don't…" Keith manages weakly. Astrid definitely hears him, but she simply looks ahead with a crushingly guilty expression._

 _BANG_

 _The gunshot is loud and clear. Keith could see the bullet as it shot through the air. The person hits the far wall, blood staining the white paint where their head was. Gray grins wickedly. "Good, you got the head."_

 _Astrid drops the gun, burying her face in her hands. She's killed someone. Keith wants to reach out to her, but he knows what she's thinking. She's a murderer. She's killed an innocent person. And that too to save Keith. He feels unimaginably guilty, but somehow he knows its neither of their fault._

" _Freaks, you two are dismissed for today." Gray says. Keith has never been happier to hear something from that man. Astrid turns to leave as Keith's hands are unclasped, when Gray calls out again._

" _Oh, but Astrid, don't you want to see who had the good fortune of being the target for today's practice?" Gray asks, rhetorically, his fingers already curling around the cloth bag. Keith knows Astrid would definitely NOT want to see who she killed, ut nothing's going to stop Gray. He lifts the bag, and Keith's heart stops in his ribcage._

 _He recognizes the person. The blonde hair, the dead blue eyes. Astrid's expression turns to one of pure horror, mixed with agony and heartbreak, as one word wretches her lips._

" _MOM!"_

 _She runs forward, grabbing her mother's lifeless face, crying harder than Keith has ever seen her cry. "MOM NO! Mom PLEASE NO!" She cries, slapping her mother's face to try and get some movement. Keith is simply frozen in terror. This can't be. This is too cruel to be true. There's no way someone can be so utterly inhumane. But as Keith tears his gaze away from where Astrid sobs uncontrollably, he can see Gray sneering._

 _Two of the men wrap their arms around Keith, and two more pry Astrid off her mother's body. She thrashes and struggles against them, screaming her throat raw. Her screams beg for her mother to come back, they apologize, they mourn. But nothing can undo what had happened._

 _Suddenly, Astrid completely loses it. She starts clawing at the men, biting and snarling like a wild animal. Her tears are no longer tears, they're steady streams. Her screams are guttural cries. It takes four other men to hold down her thrashing form, and that's when the stark realization hits Keith._

 _Astrid's completely snapped. Her mind has given in to their dire state. She's lost her mind._

Keith could feel the tears even before the memory broke. His shirt was wet from the blood gushing from his mouth, but he was shaken to his very roots by the memory. Astrid had been forced to kill her own mother… Keith couldn't imagine a greater sorrow than that. He looked to where she sat, playing with the bed sheet, an unnerving sadness taking him over. He moved forward to hug her, when suddenly she sat upright, her eyes wide.

Screams rang through the room as Astrid tore at her hair. Gaping wounds appeared all over her body has her mouth began to spew blood. Keith could feel his own mouth taste metallic from the blood that ran out. His shirt was soaked, but as of the moment, he couldn't care less about himself. He leapt off the bed and ran over to where Astrid lay.

"GUYS! NEWT! CLINT! JEFF! HELP!" He yelled at the top of his lungs. Astrid was going rabid, baging her head against the post of the bed, tearing at her skin. Keith didn't know what memory she'd had, but it must have been traumatizing. He tried to say calming things to Astrid, but the blood from his mouth made his words unclear. Pain flooded his eyesight, but he focused only on Astrid. He took her arms as the door flew open. He pried her off the bed and he felt other take her from him.

"Oh my god! What has happened to you two! You're soaked in blood!" Jeff cried, astonished. Newt simply held his sister back, trying to calm her down.

Then, all of a sudden, Astrid went completely rigid. Her eyes grew wider, and arms grabbed Newt's collar, shaking him. She gasped, and five words flew out of her mouth, the tone raspy and strange. However, the words were as clear as day.

"The maze is a code."

~.~.~.~

Gail could feel the sweat as it slowly trickled down her brow. She grit her teeth, her features scrunched in fierce concentration. Dusk groaned, and Gail's heart jumped.

Suddenly, Dusk completely collapsed. "NO!" Gail cried out as she knelt next to him. Dusk looked utterly terrible. His blood tainted everything. His face was paler than usual, and his shirt was torn in several places. She didn't even know how he was still alive, but she intended to keep him that way.

Her mind was splitting from worry. Gail tried to say something, but a huge lump of guilt was forming in her throat. Dusk had run into the maze to save her, and now he was close to dying.

"Come on Dusk don't die on me!" She ordered as she hefted him up again, wrapping his arm around her neck. He was taller than her; bigger too. Her legs almost gave away under the weight; Dusk may have been thin, but he was heavy. She looked up at the sky to see the pink rays of sunlight pierce the gray background.

Gail knew what to do. She could only pray that she reached the doors in time when they opened not too long from now. Because if she didn't, Dusk was going to die.

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I'm a very evil person. I know, that memory was… just….**

 **But here's the new chapter! Hope y'all liked it! I mean, I know, it was… but yeah! I really hope this story isn't boring guys… please tell me what you thought! I love hearing from y'all so MUCH! Y'allz are seriously da best.**

 **This AN Is short because it's like 3 AM here and I'm half-asleep, but yeah! Wanted this chapter out, lolz. Hope y'all liked it!**

 **A Fellow Glader**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: I AM SO SORRY OMG I HAVE NO IDEA HOW THAT HAPPENED! So, I uploaded the Document for Operation survival, but it somehow deleted that and uploaded my other story. Shout put to mazerunner26 for pointing it out! You're awesome and I'm so sorry! Hope the chapter's good! :D**

~.~.~.~.

The gray walls loomed in front of the Gladers, as they anxiously held their breath. It was morning. If they were alive, they'd get to know now.

Nobody was truly worried for Gail. Sure, they didn't want her to die, but it was Dusk they were really worried about. They'd seen him run in. He'd obviously been severely injured and surviving a night with Grievers with that kind of injury seemed almost impossible.

Chuck was chewing on his shirt as people ran over to him. He looked to see Newt and Thomas. Then he looked at their clothes and the boy's eyes widened. Newt noticed him staring and shrugged. "Long story."

Newt was still worried for Astrid, but she was better now. The bleeding had stopped, and she was now asleep in the infirmary while Jeff worked on Keith. The kid needed to be questioned, but he'd seemed to be going into shock about then, so they'd abstained.

A loud noise brought Newt back to reality. The whole world seemed to shake as the doors slowly opened. Newt, Thomas and just about every Glader standing there peered through the widening crack to see inside. Newt gasped.

Gail was limping towards them, half dragging, half carrying Dusk. And Dusk seemed to be unconscious. Newt almost turned away at his sight. He was completely covered in blood and his leg was bent at a funny angle. There was a big cloth wrapped around his midsection, and blood was seeping through. The worst part was, Dusk looked as dead as someone could. Newt desperately hoped he was only looking so because of his pale complexion.

Gail stepped into the Glade and dropped Dusk. Immediately, the Gladers ran over. Newt skidded to his knees beside Dusk and felt his wrist for a pulse. His eyes widened as he desperately felt Dusk's neck, and finally his chest.

Nothing.

"He's not breathing!" He cried, starting to panic. Gail froze. "WHAT!?" She yelled, leaping forward. She felt strong hands wrap around her waist and pull her back as Clint pushed through the crowd. He pulled Newt away from Dusk and knelt beside him.

Gail didn't even realize her tears had started falling as Clint put his hands over where Dusk's heart was and started pumping. "Come on Dusk… come on…." He muttered. Gail was sobbing by now, but he was firmly held back. She could feel the person wrap his arms around her in what felt like a reassuring hug. "He'll be fine.. he'll be fine…" Thomas sounded like he was reassuring himself.

Gail couldn't breathe. All she wanted was for Dusk's brown eyes to fly open. She wanted to know he was alive. Dusk couldn't be dead… he simply couldn't be…. She looked to see the beads of perspiration dotting Clint's forehead as he pumped Dusk's chest harder each time. Dusk showed no response.

Just when Gail was about to give up hope, a loud gasp made her whip her head towards Dusk. He eyes were open and he was coughing. Clint sat back and just about collapsed next to him.

Gail went a little crazy. She wriggled out of Thomas' grip and ran over to where her best friend lay. He looked up at her and sat up but before he could say anything, she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into the tightest, most bone-crushing hug she'd given. The force almost knocked them both back, but Dusk supported them with his hands.

Gail was literally wailing by now. She didn't even care if she looked weak in front of the gladers. All the anxiety, fear and pain she'd been holding in was coming out. She buried her face in the crook of Dusk's neck and simply cried. Dusk knew better than to try and say something. He hugged her back and gently stroked her hair.

After what felt like hours, Gail pulled back and slapped Dusk across his face. "OW!" He cried, rubbing his cheek. "What the hell was-"

"DON'T YOU EVER DIE ON ME AGAIN YOU UNDERSTAND!?" She yelled. Dusk's eyes grew wide and he shut up. Then, after a heartbeat, he burst out laughing. Gail tried to stay mad at him, but Dusk's laugh was one that didn't allow that. "Stop that! You just died! You're not supposed to be laughing!" She reprimanded. Dusk tried to regain composure and failed miserably.

"Yes your majesty." He said, echoing the words he'd said to her in the maze. Dusk looked around at the Gladers, and Gail, finally realizing that she was probably making a scene, pulled away from Dusk and sat down beside him. Clint glared at him.

"Dude. What the literal hell? I save your shuck life and no thank you?" He asked, cocking his head. Dusk raised an eyebrow. "I really died? Gosh, that sounds _so_ weird…" he commented. Clint nodded."Technically. Your heart stopped. I had to start the damn thing again."

"Well that's a good thing too. Dusk, you pull off one more heroic, I'll kill you myself." Newt spoke up, glaring at the boy laying in front of him. Dusk grinned guiltily.

"Clint, take him to the infirmary. Make sure he looks human and patch him up. Thomas, take Psycho to the washrooms. Tell her to wash up and try not to have her kill you." Newt ordered. Gail got up and was about to say something when Thomas stepped in between.

"Right! Gail! The washrooms!" he prompted desperately. Gail had a five-second stare-down with Newt before following Thomas in the direction of the washrooms. Clint looked at Newt questioningly. "I know that tone. You're doing it, aren't you?" he asked. Newt nodded.

"I'm calling another Gathering."

~.~.~.~.

Gail sat on one of them most uncomfortable chairs possible. She guessed Newt had purposely given her this chair to keep her in discomfort. She sent glares in his direction every time their eyes met. Newt wasn't a bad guy, and Gail knew that. He simply was worried about his sister. If Gail had been in his position, she'd have been similar, probably worse. But that didn't really matter to Gail. If anything, she blamed Newt for Dusk's injured state.

Dusk sat beside her, practically wrapped head to toe in bandages. All around his forehead head was a gauze, Gail knew he had a bandage under his shirt, and his arms were completely covered in the white stuff. But he'd insisted on coming. Gail was glad, because even in his injured state, Dusk was just about the only one who could keep her from throttling people.

"Alright shut it!" Newt yelled, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "Now, as y'all kn-"

"Where's my brother?" Gail asked curtly. Newt glared at her. "Wait for your turn, which you probably wont be given and keep shut." He said. Gail stood up. "Wow Newt, you may have just set the record for the most incompetent sounding threat ever. Now, tell me where my brother is, before I force it out of you." She said, stepping closer to the blonde. Newt glared harder.

"Psycho, that really isn't something you should be saying to me right now…" he responded with a steely tone to his voice. Gail snorted. "I've been stung, Banished, and almost eaten by a Griever. What can you possibly do to me that'll be worse?"

"OI!" Gail turned around at Dusk's voice. He rolled his eyes at the two. "Can you two have a normal conversation without threatening to rip each others' throats out? Don't answer that, that's rhetorical." He said as Gail opened her mouth to answer.

"Since my extremely inspiring leader friend was so able to communicate the information, I'll answer you. Keith's in the infirmary." Minho answered Gail. When Gail's eyes widened, he shook his head. "He's fine. Simply resting. I'll tell you the whole story later. For now, let's get to the Gathering before I get bored and run off." He said.

"Gail sit your bloody butt down." Newt said. Gail gave him an evil look but sat down. Newt cleared his throat and looked back at the Gladers.

"Right. First things first. Astrid had another um… _episode_ , and she said something very important. 'The maze is a code'. Any ideas as to what that means?" He asked. Gail laughed. "Gee Newt, that's a baffling one! The maze is a code, oh lord, what could it mean! Oh! Maybe it means _the maze is a freaking code_! NO WAY!" Gail exclaimed sarcastically. Newt went red in the face, and looked away. "Was that a psycho gnat talking? Sorry, my ears filter out useless information…" he said to everyone in general. People were looking at the two slack-jawed.

"Dang, Chuck seems more sensible than you two right now…" Dusk said, trying to sit up straight but wincing. Newt gave him a small smile but continued.

"Well, it obviously means the maze doesn't have a normal exit like we'd expected. There must be some kind of code either in the maze, or in the maps. We solve the code, we solve the maze. Minho, keep half the runner for searching the maze for the signs of any code, and keep the other half for looking at the shuck maps the whole day. I don't care if you burn out your bloody eyeballs. Solve the code." He ordered. Minho rolled his eyes. "Well, since you asked so nicely…"

"Moving on." Newt said quickly. "It seems that now killing Grievers has become an easy task. I'm not gonna bother asking Dusk and Psycho how they did it, but I'm gonna ask this. Why are you trying to kill my sister? And Gail, give me the truth because I'm sick and tired of hearing lies." He said, finally calling her by her name. Gail sighed. She was done playing by their hands. Keith was going to be safe. She wasn't going to be a puppet for them anymore. Dusk had almost died because of it. She wasn't going to follow them anymore.

"It was the creators."

"What?" Newt asked, incredulous. Gail gave him her trademark what-a-dork look. "I said it was the creators, is that really so hard to comprehend? You wanna hear it in another language? _Fueron los creadores_. There, you get that?" She said. Newt's eyes narrowed. "I don't even know half of what you just said but I'm gonna ignore that. What did the creators do?" he asked.

Gail took a deep breath. "When I was stung, the somehow contacted me. It's a huge complicated thing, but the main thing is that they told me that if I didn't kill Astrid, they'd kill Keith. I didn't believe them at first, but the that night… Keith was lost… and I knew that they hadn't been joking. I couldn't let my brother die…" Gail's voice broke, but she steadied herself and put on her angry expression again. "So no, Newt, I'm not a psycho. I'm simply trying to protect my brother. But now, I don't give a eff what the creators do. They wanna get to Keith, they go through me. And trust me when I say, that's not easy." She said, hoping a beetle blade nearby was picking this up.

The Gladers has fallen silent and were staring at her. Even Newt looked at her with… guilt? "Why didn't you tell any of us?" he asked. Gail rolled her eyes again. "Jeez Newt, never thought of that. Because if I did, they'd kill Keith anyway!"

Newt's expression hardened. He looked at Dusk who was staring at Gail with an open mouth. He seemed a mixture of shocked, confused and pained. Newt understood all three. Shocked because of what Gail had said, confused as to how they would proceed, and pained because she hadn't told him. he quickly looked away, but the hurt was evident on his face.

"Okay. Listen to me. These creators will not have their way anymore. Thomas, Minho, crack the bloody code. Employ the entire Glade if you have to, but do it." He took a deep breath.

"We're getting out of this bloody maze and we're getting out quick."

~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: Well, I know, it was kind of a filler, but it was needed. Also, a very quick and sad note. There'll be a hiatus after this till December 16. I have important exams. Even after that, updates wil be sporadic, but I'm never giving up on this. Don't worry. And so many reviews you guys are so awesome!**

 **So yeah, tell me what you thought! I love hearing from you guys sooooo much! Seriously, every review makes me so happy! :)**

 **Yours in demigodishness,**

 **A Fellow Glader.**


	31. Chapter 31

Newt's head was spinning. They'd just talked to Alby now that he was better. However, the leader seemed to have been in utter shock, because he spoke in vague sentences, andtold tbem nothing, except that they couldn't leave.

"I'm sure it's the Changing. It's fried his brain." Minho reasoned. But right now, Newt pushed Alby from his mind. He had another task. He slowly pushed open the door to Keith and Astrid's room. Keith was silently sitting on a chair, staring at a wall. Whatever had happened had taken its toll on him. The kid was in shock.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but with Keith not available to talk to, because he wont say anyhing in shock,. Astrid is a better bet." Clint put in. Newt nodded his assent and walked over to his sister, who was playing with her dress. He sat down gently beside her.

"Astrid, look at me." He said, lifting her chin up. "Can you tell me what you remembered?"

Astrid waited for far too long. The blys almost thought she wouldn't answer, but at last she said "Yes. Astrid remembering..."

"Astid can't remember much. Only pain and feeling scared... it hurts a lot... and there's the man's voice in the background... he's screaming the same words while hurting Astrid and Keith... the maze is a code... he's hurting us a lot..." Astrid trailed off,.staring into space. Newt touched her shoulder. "Who Astrid? Which man?"

"The one who tortured us..." cam Keith's unexpected voice. Everyone turned to look at him, but it seemed as though Keith had gone back to silence after that one sentence. Newt turned back to Astrid. "Do you know who he is?" Astrid nodded as Newt's eyes widened. "He's his father..." she said. Newt's anxiety knew no bounds. "Whose?"

"Dusk's.."

~.~.~.

"You know, you should really be resting after almost dying about two hours ago…" Gail laughed and shook her head as Dusk tried to get up. He smiled. "No, really, I can do this… I'm feeling much better, I'm not kidding." He stated weakly. Gail raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh? A broken rib, a dislocated joint, about half the blood lost from your body and you're fine? I'll believe that without a problem." She said sarcastically.

Dusk managed to shakily get to his feet. He turned and gave Gail a wide grin, as though he'd accomplished something immense. Seeing Dusk give her that extremely childish and extremely goofy grin, Gail couldn't help but laugh. Dusk slowly trudged over to the table that was propped up against the far wall, and leaned against it. Gail was about to step over to him, when the door flew open.

Scratch that, the door didn't fly open. It just about fell apart with the forced it was knocked open with. Before anyone could react, Newt barged in, looking angrier than Gail had ever seen him, which was saying quite a lot. Gail simply stood frozen in shock as Newt stomped up to Dusk with an outraged expression on his face.

"Hey, Newt-" Dusk started but was cut off by Newt's fist connecting with his jaw. Dusk reeled back, holding his face with his good hand. Gail was still too shocked to move.

Newt grabbed Dusk's collar and slammed him against the wall. He repeatedly landed punch after punch on Dusk's stomach. In his already injured state, this wasn't something Dusk's body could take. Blood spurted out of his mouth as Newt's punches got harder.

The second-in-command threw Dusk to the floor and kicked him in his ribs. He picked him up again and threw him against the table. "YOUR FATHER DID THIS!" Newt screamed, not even caring how insane he sounded just about then. This monster… his father had tortured Astrid to the point of insanity. Newt was seeing red. All he wanted was revenge. How could anyone torture such an innocent girl and live with it? He'd considered Dusk a friend…

He ran forward again, but Gail latched her fingers onto his shirt and pulled him back. "ARE YOU CRAZY!?" She demanded. "He's dying!" She said. Newt looked at Dusk's form. The boy was now vomiting blood, and his dislocated arm seemed more dislocated. Newt didn't care. Astrid had probably looked worse when this guy and his father had tortured her. Newt threw Gail off and picked up Dusk by his shirt.

He slammed Dusk's face onto the table and pressed it down onto the surface. "YOU DESERVE TO PAY! What had she ever done!? Do you even see her now!? She's insane, and IT'S YOUR FATHER who did this!" Newt screamed. He lifted Dusk's head to slam it onto the table again, when strong arms wrapped around his own. He felt himself being pulled away from Dusk as the other boy collapsed on the floor, covered anew in his own blood. Newt thrashed against the person who was holding him back.

"Newt just stop will you!? You're not thinking straight!" Minho's voice was urgent. Newt slowly stopped thrashing as Gail knelt over Dusk, trying to stop the flow of blood. She glared at Newt. "Now, I've seen some insensitive things, but NOTHING beats this. He's almost dying Newt! What is wrong with you!?" She exclaimed.

"His father tortured Astrid and Keith! My sister is insane today because of this shuck-face's bloody FATHER!" Newt yelled, tears stinging his eyes. He'd stopped thrashing, but he was practically steaming with fury. Gail looked at Dusk in disbelief. "What?" She asked generally, her voice small.

They waited a good three heart beats before Dusk looked up, his eyes red and his mouth bleeding. He looked at Newt with agony and hurt. Newt was surprised such a monster could feel pain at all.

"You think I had a choice? You think I was with my father? Let me tell you this, Newt. You. Don't. Know. ANYTHING!" Dusk yelled as he shakily got to his feet. Newt was taken aback by his statement. Dusk yanked up his shirt to reveal a mark on his abdomen. A brand, the letters burned into the flesh. Newt gasped. That was the same mark he'd seen on Keith and Astrid. And fro Gail's expression, she recognized it too.

"See this Newt? You'll find one on Astrid and Keith too. Know what this means? It means I was tortured with them. In fact, I was tortured a full two years longer than them. And you know who tortured me? My very own father." Dusk spat out.

Newt, and every other Glader in the room, was shocked into silence. This couldn't be….

"You think I had a choice? They'd torture me in front of Astrid and Keith to break the mentally. You think I wouldn't have helped them if I wanted to? I almost got them out once. You know what that got me? My father tortured my best friend in front of my eyes." Dusk said. He was crying by now. Remembering Ashlyn, who he knew he'd gotten killed because of his attempt at rescuing Keith and Astrid. Everyone was staring at the boy slack-jawed.

"You know what they did to her, Newt? They chopped off her ears. And when that wasn't enough, they slowly cut off her toes one at a time with a butter knife. And then they made me KILL HER to put her out of her misery! AND THAT WAS WHAT I GOT FOR TRYING TO HELP! They never let me near them! You think your sister was tortured? WHAT DO YOU THINK I WAS!?" He yelled.

One could have heard a pin drop in the infirmary as Dusk sank to his knees. He buried his face in his good hand and shook with sobs. Gail didn't even know what to do. She knew Dusk had had a bad history, but this was beyond imagination. And if after that Dusk survived through seeing two of his best friends die… Gail didn't really know how this guy was still sane.

Newt simply stared at him. Guilt was not a word strong enough to express what he felt. When he'd heard that Dusk's father had tortured Astrid and Keith, he'd immediately assumed Dusk had been his accomplice. He hadn't even stopped to think for a moment. It was as though something had taken him over. Rage. Rage had engulfed him. Now, seeing Dusk sobbing on the floor, Newt felt crushed by guilt.

"Dusk, I…" he couldn't finish. How could someone apologize for this? He wasn't supposed to be like this… Newt was always the peacemaker… Now, Dusk was bleeding out because of him… He started forward, but Dusk held up a hand. "Don't. Don't even apologize. You couldn't have known. But before barging in and beating the crap out of me, you could've bothered to learn the whole truth." He said, his voice still broken.

"Dusk, I'm so sorry…" Newt said, even though he knew this was way too small to be an apology. "I just got so mad when I heard…." He trailed off again. Dusk got to his feet, wiping the blood off of his mouth. "Well now you know. I didn't help my father torture your sister. I was tortured with her." he said, looking Newt right in the eye. Then, before anyone could protest, Dusk pushed past the group of awed Gladers and walked out of the infirmary room.

Gail started after him, but felt herself being stopped by Minho. "Don't. he doesn't need comfort right now. He needs to be left alone." He said. To his amazement, Gail obeyed. Somewhere inside of her, she knew Minho was correct.

Newt, who'd been staring at the ground in shock till now, turned to look at them. His eyes were filled with guilt and seemed wide enough to be double their size. He started to say something, but Gail cut him off.

"Don't say you're sorry for not knowing. There's no possible way you could've known. Say you're sorry for being a total idiot and running to almost kill someone without even thinking for a second."

~.~.~.

Gail sat in the kitchen, setting up the plated for lunch. She hadn't really given the trials, but with so much going on, they'd simply let her help Frypan in his cooking. As she put the second bread on the sandwich, she heard the door open and shut. She looked up to see Minho come in wearing a sheepish look.

"I take it you don't want brownies?" She asked sarcastically. Minho scoffed. "Well, you're wrong. Everyone loves brownies." He said as he picked one up. Gail smirked. "Well alright then, let me rephrase that. I take it brownies is not why you came to see me?"

Minho froze and looked down. He shook his head. "It's Newt…" he said. Gail sighed. "What's he done now?" She asked. "The shank ran off into the forest, saying he needed some time… Gail, I know Newt. He likes being comforted. He would never say that."

Gail sighed and placed her hands on the counter. She looked at Minho. She knew where this was going. "So you want me to go out there and console your best friend who acted like a total jerk and beat up my best friend? Where is Dusk now, and why aren't you consoling Newt?" she asked.

"Dusk came back an hour ago. Simply went to the map room to help. He wouldn't speak to anyone, and if someone asked him something, he'd just glare at them. And Gail, Newt doesn't exactly need comfort now. He needs someone to tell him he isn't a complete idiot and a screw-up. Gail he's working hard, trust me, he really is. But so many things have been going on right now. And on top of that, finding out about Dusk's father, it pushed past his limit. He's not like that. But this coming from me would sound as though I'm fake consoling him." he reasoned. Gail sighed again.

"Minho, I know Newt didn't mean it. I know he's stressed. But you honestly think I'm the one who should do this?" she asked. Minho firmly nodded. She rolled her eyes. "Remind me again, why is it that you're trusting me?" she asked. Minho contemplated the answer for a moment before answering.

"I honestly have no idea."

~.~.~.

Gail spotted Newt in quite possibly one of the strangest places. They had a small creek in this forest. Newt was sitting next to it, his knees bought close to his chest and his arms wrapped around them. Gail stepped up to him silently.

"I'd announce my arrival in a sassy manner, but all I can think of to say is, this is the most bizarre place for you to be." She said as she walked over snd sat down beside the boy. Newt jumped at the sound of her voice, but relaxed a litle thereafter. "Hey." He managed.

Gail took this chance to look closely at Newt. His blonde hair was dishevelled and his usually brown eyes were tinged wih red. Newt was more disturbed and broken than she'd anticipated. "Hey, you wanna talk?" She asked softly. Newt shook his head, but gave in moments later.

"You know where Dusk is?" He asked. Gail nodded. "He came back an hour ago. He's working with the mappers. He's quiet, but he's fine. That's not something I can say for you..." she informed him. He scoffed and dipped his head low.

"I've never felt more stupid. I just heard Astrid say it was his father, and I lost it. I couldn't even think of what to do... you probably hate me now..." he said, looking up at her with a small yet sad smile. She took a moment.

"You know the weirdest thing, Newt? I don't hate you. And if I'm being completely honest, I never have. Because everything you did, I would have done the same, in your position. Newt, you beat up a guy because you thought he'd tortured your sister. I almost killed an innocent girl because some bullshit creators told me to. But we did it because we love our siblings. We want them safe. And I know what that feels like." She said. Newt stared at her.

"I know what that fear is, Newt. When you're afraid for your sibling's life. I know how it demolishes any rational thought." She stated. Newt stared at her a bit longer before giving her another small smile.

But just as his smile came, it faded. "But I can't even do my job well. Alby always remained calm, and managed everything. And now everything's falling apart and they need me to lead them, and I'm messing everything up. I'm not a leader Gail. I never was..." he said, looking down again. Gail frowned.

"You know Newt? I've not been here very long. But everytime I see a fight, there's always one boy to break it up. Everytime something goes wrong, one boy to calm things down. Everytime someone needed consoling, one boy who was always there. You know who that boy is? He's a certain second-in-command with a funny accent." She said. To her pleasure, Newt offered a genuine smile. "I think that encompasses Leadership pretty well Newt."

Newt stood up, and Gail follwed suit. He looked at her. "Thanks Gail..." he said with a faint voice. Before he could protest, Gail stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. She stroked his hair as he rested his forehead on her shoulder. After a few moments, Newt pulled away. Gail smiled. "You needed that."

Newt seemed as though he wanted to say something, but was stopped by footsteps. Minho burst into the clearing, panting and out of breath. "Gods, it took forever to find you guys!" He complained, out of breath. "We were looking through the maps. And Tommy found something. You need to see this."

~.~.~.~.~.~.

 **A/N: I KNOW I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I know this chapter was not much of action, but I need this to be a teensy bit slow to tell their stories well. I really needed the Newt-Dusk scene cause I doubted Newt would be really jolly after finding out about his father. I mean "Oh your father tortured my sister? Eh, dont matter lets have some tea!" Yeah, that would be a bit weird.**

 **But please tell me your thoughts on this! I love your reviews so much, I cant even say!**

 **Oh and whoever's read The Death Cure, you'll probably see what I did in this chap.**

 **Please review and tell me what you thought! I love hearing your thoughts! Hope you liked the chap!**

 **Yours in demigodishness,**

 **A Fellow Glader**


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